Rediscover the Wonder
By Polly Balint
Maybe you, too, have seen little plants popping up through
tiny cracks in concrete sidewalks and parking lots. But I don’t know how many
of us stop and take-in the wonder how
this tiny, fully alive plant broke through the concrete. But hey, who has time
to enjoy the little wonders of life, which are really opportunities to be
grateful for the beauty of creation that God gave us to enjoy. I’m too busy for
that, right?
Well, we each could be like that vigorous, bright green
plant this New Year! For many of us our world in 2024 was like that cold, hard,
cracked concrete: losses, sorrows,
illnesses, disappointments, brokenness, discouragement, worries, fear
filled, and burdened with regret. If we want to live without regrets this New
Year, we’ve got to stop taking everything in our lives for granted. Entitlement
is a lie. This life is a gift.
So just like that flourishing plant, as we enter this New
Year we can decide to thrive too. Countless opportunities to improve our lives
are waiting for us. In fact, the best gift we can give ourselves and everyone
around us is to be present. Yes! Be the gift you want to receive from others!
Pay attention to where you are now and
in every moment from now on decide to be grateful for every day, each
day! In your relationships be present and engage in the other person. Put the
phone down. Look for opportunities to make someone’s day better. Smile. Laugh.
Laugh at your own jokes; I have done that for years and it really makes people
laugh harder (and they usually roll their eyes, too).
Take in the beauty of your surroundings when you’re
outdoors. Discover the wonder of a sunset or a sunrise, again. Choose to be in
awe of the changing seasons. Winters can be extremely cold and harsh, but snow
really is beautiful, and a fire crackling in a fireplace is so cozy.
Look for the good, you’ll find it. Look for the negative,
you’ll find it. Imagine that little bright green sprout wasn’t hindered by the
burden of that concrete, it wanted to live in the light of life! It’s a choice.
Look, you made it through 2024, you’re alive and reading this column right
now. Share your grateful heart with
everyone around you.
My photo of this little plant is an amazing visual of God’s
promises to His children. We are the flourishing, fully alive plants rooted and
abiding in Jesus, and the world is the cement. God has promises for us and the
power to keep us going.
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will
grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the Lord, they will
flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they
will stay fresh and green.” Psalm 92:14.
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Bio: Polly Balint is the author of five books; her sixth
book will be launched early spring 2025.
She lives in Woodmont with her husband, Don, and their rescue dog, Polo.