“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

Gerard Manly Hopkins wrote that and whether we notice it or not, it is true. The world is filled with the love, the power, the elegance, the grace and beauty of God.

Some people say the very same thing differently. Elizabeth Barrett Browning put it this way:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven. And every common bush afire with God; but only the one who see, takes off his shoes-the rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.”

I have to admit, I sure do have plenty of sitting around plucking berries kind of times. Those are the times when I am right by the grandeur of God, right up next to the amazing blessings of God, but I am distracted by the berry or two and I pluck, pluck, pluck.

Our love of God, our full awe and appreciation of the amazing God who created us, begins with our noticing God. When we open our eyes to God’s presence, we cannot help but to be filled with awe and thankfulness. God’s richness is all around us! God fills our flowers with fragrance. God paints amazing landscapes daily and even uses different colors each morning and evening.

God nudges people around us to such unexpected kindness and grace. God even prods us to do the same. Then we can be right in on the grandeur and know the beauty God provides from the inside out.

May you be blessed. May you be blessed to look past the berries (whatever the berries are in your life at this moment). I invite you to notice the full grandeur of God’s handiwork. May you be blessed to notice the kindness poured out for you in a day, the changing skyscape, the sounds around and even the ability to take it all in.

May you be blessed to appreciate the grandeur of God.

In Christ,

Rhodie