Casandra Martin

The sun was melting behind the trees. The cool evening shadows were pushing us towards home. My little friend and I were packing up and getting ready to leave the park. We had spent the afternoon letting our imaginations take full flight. Dinosaurs had marched through the sand. Boats were launched, mountains climbed, foes defeated, races won, scientific discoveries made, and we swung so high the toes of our shoes almost touched the blue of the sky. Now it was time to go home.

We gathered backpacks, water bottles, jackets, and the puppy and started walking. My mind was already down the road, planning dinner and checking the clock. My little friend, however, wanted to take the long sidewalk. I watched as he zigged and zagged. He paused to pick up an acorn, jump over a crack in the sidewalk, and stop to feel the trunk of a tree. I should have known better, but I said it anyway. “Hurry up. We need to go.”

That is when he ducked under the branches of a small tree. Still completely covered in leaves, the shape of the tree resembled a small umbrella. All I could see was the bottom of his sneakers sticking out from beneath the green canopy. “Hey!” he said. “There is a bird’s nest in here.”

Time froze for a split second as I weighed my options. I could let my rushing ruin the moment, or I could join him under the branches and be a part of the adventure. I scrunched down, entering a whole new world. The air looked different under the tree as sunlight filtered through the leaves. There, near the top, was a beautiful bird’s nest. We talked about who might live there, marveling at the way a little bird family had made its home in this quiet place on a busy path. I left the embrace of the tree branches changed.

Being willing to slow down and look up is an eye-opening, heart-stretching, soul-inspiring way to live.

My Jesus Resolution today is to slow down and look up. Hurry is the enemy of hallelujahs. Impatience robs me of opportunities to praise. Too many times I rush through the pools of refreshment God has put in my path, treating them like puddles to avoid rather than places to pause and breathe in His delight. Today I want to move through my day humbled and hushed, rather than hurried and harried. Wonder and awe begin with a willingness to bow my head, stoop down, and look up.