Sunglasses

Recognizing God Moments in Our Lives

I opened the dresser drawer in the nursery, looking for a hair bow for baby Lucy. Something glittery in the back of the drawer caught my attention: Julia’s sunglasses. I closed the drawer as fast as I could. Too painful. The hair bow was not worth it.

Later that afternoon an anonymous packaged arrived — a gift for Lucy. In it were these adorable baby sunglasses.

I didn’t make the connection until later that evening when I was chatting with my sister-in-law, Laura. She was asking me if it was painful to dress Lucy in Julia’s clothes. I recounted my painful moment with the sunglasses that morning. Laura connected the dots, “Don’t you think it interesting that baby sunglasses showed up anonymously on the same day?”

I see all of it, Kel. I heard Jesus saying to me. Every moment of unspoken pain. You don’t have to reuse Julia’s sunglasses. Lucy can have her own pair this time.

That night Mike and I asked the same question we ask every night: “How did you experience God today?” I answered, “through sunglasses.”

Sometimes we don’t recognize God moments in our lives without the help of others. My sleep-deprived brain couldn’t make the connection until Laura pointed it out. I need those moments of reflection each night with Mike to stop and reflect on how God might have been getting my attention and loving me.

One of my favorite moments in the gospel according to Mark is when Jesus interprets the disciples’ experiences around bread. They’re still thinking about literal bread when Jesus is trying to show them something profound about himself (Mark 6). Jesus does miracles with something as ordinary as bread and it takes the disciples several rounds of interpretation and reflection in community to begin to see it.

We won’t recognize God in our lives without community and without reflection. Who in your life helps you recognize God moments? What habits do you have to pause for reflection?

P.S. If you are the kind person who gifted us with those baby sunglasses, we’d love to hear from you so we can thank you! And if you gave us the Charlie Brown and Lucy dolls we’d love to thank you too. They’re so cute!