“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.” – Proverbs 4:1

Proverbs is undeniably focused a lot around wisdom, but I must say, as I reflected on this verse and the thoughts God has been pressing on my heart lately, I find this portion of Scripture to be convicting regarding the practice of gratitude as well.

Reading so much into wisdom recently has made me recognize the countless vessels God is actually capable of using to pour into us. The devotional I have been reading discussed the value of being “teachable”. I found this fascinating as it emphasized the importance of good counsel and community. But what captivated me was how it revealed the beauty in so many perspectives.

The world will often promote a singular point of view; one that idolizes yourself and encourages relative truth. Meanwhile, one of the most common pieces of advice from Christian’s is to “step back and try to see God’s broad perspective”. The idea of a garden is typically the metaphor people refer to as a way to encourage those who lack hope in tough situations.

Though I agree that stepping back and seeking to view things the way God does is valuable…unfortunately, at the end of the day, we are still not God and we are still limited by what we do not know. This, my friend, is what grabbed my attention when reading through Proverbs and seeing phrases like “pay attention”, “commit yourself”, “listen”, “turn your ear”, repetitively encouraged by the writer.

The Lord is indeed aware of our shortcomings. He knows we cannot see the end of every circumstance that stirs up anxiety in us, but here is the beautiful truth: He gently reminds us that we do not need to know the specifics of how our trials will end in order to be confident in His faithfulness to get us through it. In fact, throughout scripture, and especially in Proverbs, we are directed to consider the beauty, love, faithfulness, and grace of the Lord in what He has done in the past and what He is doing all around us everyday in the present.

With the endless supply of distractions this world offers, we are so susceptible to missing the small things. But how many blessings must we ignore before we realize there is so much value in the limited perspective we sometimes have. When we are stuck in the weeds of this supposed garden of beauty God is making with our lives, I would argue there is still a way to worship Him and there are still things to thank Him for.

The weeds may be tall. They may be rooted deep. And they may seem to cover every good thing around us. But beloved child of God, that does not mean the only hope in reach is when you manage to get out of the rubble and look back. Perhaps the “little” blessings under our noses wouldn’t seem to be so small at all if we valued them as much as God does, knowing it’s those very things that have the power to shape us into who God designed us to be.

My dear friend, maybe it’s not a broader perspective you need. Maybe if you turned your eyes to see – and I mean truly seek out with expectancy – you may just recognize the endless beauty in the “little” things all throughout your life.

Thoughts to consider:

What circumstances in your life have you just been waiting on a big breakthrough to solve it rather than challenging yourself to see the hidden blessings?

Are there any things in your life that you may be taking for granted? (family, school, friends, a job, finances)

What are three ways you can challenge yourself to look at the circumstances in your life more deeply so that you can actually create space and time to identify the little blessings amidst your trials?

Consider the effect that stewarding every area of your life intentionally, with gratitude towards God, can have on you and those you interact with.

“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.” – Proverbs 4:1