white Christmas tree lights

Last night I taught a class on journaling. I always talk about how journaling can help us see God’s love toward us in our everyday life; that journaling helps us pay attention to the little things.

When I teach this course, I have rooms set up for each of the participants so that they can have some time alone to focus on what they might be hearing from God. Since we are meeting in a newer church building all of the rooms have fluorescent lighting, so I provide a lamp next to their chair to help set a more contemplative atmosphere. A couple of the rooms belong to our 5th and 6th grade ministry and those rooms have white Christians tree lights on the ceiling...no need for a lamp.

After having some time alone, to reflect, the participants came back to the classroom. I asked them what their experience had been like. Several shared about gift of having time to spend alone with God. A couple shared about how tears were shed. But one came back and said she loved the room she had been put in because it had white Christmas tree lights on the ceiling. She and her husband have different preferences when it comes to Christmas tree lights. She loves white lights and he loves colored ones. They compromise and trade on and off every year. She loved the thought that one of those rooms had been chosen randomly for her. There was something special we noticed with her as we all saw how God took care of that small detail. Now, every time we ‘break out’ for some processing time, she will sit under the soft glow of tiny white lights.

Pay attention today to what is around you. God is found all around us....the mundane, ordinary things of life are saturated with His presence. We only need to open our eyes to see. I invite you to, to be looking for your “white Christmas tree lights” today. Please share what you notice.

Grace and peace,
Deb