Detour to Beauty

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set the eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."  (NIV) 

 Esslesiastes 3:11

Those of you who have read my blog for the past two years must be saying, "When is she going to talk about her favorite season, AUTUMN?"  I'm sure you were patiently waiting :)  Here it is, but with an important lesson I learned along the way.

I rush to get to work in the morning.  I'm an early riser and I have no real NEED to rush, other than I believe I will never have enough time to finish all I need to get done at work.  Come on, we have all been there - never thinking that we have enough time to get something done - regardless of our occupation.  Then I rush to get home - to get the things done that need to be done at home, dinner for my family, errands and chores, etc.  In that case, nobody is making me rush but me!  I have a very understanding family.  Yet, I put this pressure on me to keep moving, moving, moving.

The other morning there was a traffici jam on the main highway I take to work.  So I needed to detour.  Once I came to grips that I wouldn't be at work at the time I had set in my mind (an hour earlier than I needed to be), I relaxed.  Then I started looking.  I looked at the houses and yards I was passing.  I looked at the trees.  Yes, fall is truly one of those times when I just can't get enough of the outdoors.  On this particular day, God reminded me of why I enjoy this season so much.  The beauty.  The incredible beauty that surrounds us, especially in New England in Autumn.  I then realized I was rushing through autumn, my most favorite season.  

I couldn't help but think of the other many seasons of my life I had rushed through without stopping to look at the beauty.   When I look back, there were times when my children were growing up that I rushed so much - instead of stopping and relishing in their beauty.  There were times with family and friends that I rushed instead of stopping and spending time - the beauty of their friendship and love.  There were times that I didn't see the beauty of a situation that God provided to me because I rushed right through it.  There were times. . . . 

The beauty of autumn has that reflective time for me, when I look back at things I can improve upon.  With God's help, I will start taking the time.  No more excuses of having to clean the house or getting three weeks ahead on a project.  It all gets done.  I will try to put aside the "rushing" and replace it with"reflection".  No, it won't be easy.  Our old habits die hard, don't they?  But I will, because I don't want to miss the beauty God provides to me - not just in the beautiful trees, but in the beautiful people!

All of you take time to read my blog, of which I am eternally grateful.  Please, I ask you to take a few more moments.  Look out your window.  Whether you live in a city, suburb, or the country, there is beauty everywhere.  Look inside your windows.  Whether it is your family, your friends, your pets, or your home, there is beauty everywhere.  Detour and find the beauty God has so graciously provided to you.  Reflect on His majesty.  We can never explain the beauty that we will find - for only God can do that.  But we can enjoy the beautiful gifts that He has given us.

"Dearest Lord, help your children.  Help us to take a detour from our busy and rushed lives to breathe and appreciate the beautiful gifts you have given to us.  They are all around us in so many things - beauty that can only be explained as a gift from you.  Thank you for those gifts, God, especially the beauty of your most precious gift, Jesus."