Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

Those words are part of Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes. She was known drawing inspiration for her poetry from nature; and it was said she had a lifelong passion for “solitary walks in the wild.”

While I don’t believe these three simple sentences are the only instructions we need for living, I agree they hold significance, perhaps especially for Christ-followers.

Paying attention and being astonished takes work. It means that we engage in our lives rather than merely go through the motions. We have to choose to pay attention and be open to being astonished.

Paying attention and being astonished will change our attitudes. It will teach us to be more grateful for what we observe and participate in. It will also teach us humility. It’s tough to be prideful when you are astonished by someone or something else. Paying attention and being astonished naturally lead to the third instruction to “tell about it.” We usually desire to share about the things that we find inspiring.

Perhaps that’s why I’ve been pondering this quote lately. The Thanksgiving season is nearly upon us. As we walk through this November, I encourage you to tell others about things you find beauty in. I encourage you to tell others about things that astonish or fascinate you. I encourage you to tell others what you are grateful that God has done for you.

As we pay attention and allow ourselves to be astonished, gracious, kind, and generous attitudes grow within us. May we tell others about how it happened!

Grace & Peace,
~ Pastor Cindy