Little Holy Places

Little surprises.  

I am finding that, as I attempt to process (not ignore) all the 'big things,' everything from global news to the way some responsibilities weigh heavy at times, there's an essential balancing in stopping to notice something small and lovely.  Like this Wild Sweet William that confidently pokes out from behind an evergreen, not caring if it actually belongs there or not.  Just being happily pretty.

Or the box of 0.8 mm extra fine blue pens Ken found for me when he was at the stationary store for something else.  Oh how picky I am about my pens!  The very specific type I like is really hard to find now.  And the extra fine ones that I bought a bunch of last March when I was in Thailand are all run out or lost.  I'll buy more when I'm there later this month, but this will be perfect right now.   And when a husband goes to that little bit of extra trouble, it means something.

Or how excited I am that the little boys are coming to visit this afternoon, because over the summer we got to spend that amazing time at the cottage, but otherwise, I was away so much.  And then, as our regular routines of autumn fall into place, it's the big kids that I see more often.  And we'll walk over to the Dollar Store and they will be so happy to be able to choose something to bring back to Gramma's (that Mom likely won't want them to bring home, gee I wonder why), because they are young enough for this simple thing to still be a fun adventure.

And of course, before that.  It's Sunday.  The essential balancing of worship.  

Which actually is not small thing.  A focus, a reorientation on an enormous, beautiful, holy God.  

Isaiah, the prophet, speaking to people who were dreading the big bad things around around them.

Isaiah :11-14

"This is what the LORD says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:

            'Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy;

             do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.

            The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,

            he is the one to fear, he is the one you are to dread.

            He will be a holy place.'"

And then Elijah, all worn out and feeling sorry for himself, because big bad enemies were pressing.  And God gives him a chance to have a nap and get something to eat.  And then...  

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire there was a gentle whisper."  1 Kings 19:11-12 (emphasis added)

Interesting.  Everything blustering around him, but Elijah only hears God quietly.

And in the bigness of it all, and in the smallness of the noticed things, and in the whisper of a still, small voice, I do actually, yes, find myself in those holy places.  And yes, it does balance me, reorient me, hold me.

So this Sunday morning, I am keeping things small.

Small enough to notice.

Small enough for joy.