A couple of months ago I sat in the front row for the Cirque de Soleil show, Mystere.
We were close. When the stage sunk, I was close enough to see the blue and green birds and monkeys hop away into the belly of the theater.
I was close enough to see all the detail on the feathered costumes. I so far up in front that I could see the trapeze above my head and hear the whirr of the cables through the air.
Close enough that the in-your-face French styled performers stared into my eyes once or twice (Would the man-sized parrot peck at my feet?) and so close that I was worried I might be called up on stage like others in my same row had.
I had the best seats in the house where everything was in brilliant, glimmering detail. I could see everything, and hear even hear the performers’ bare feet as they padded across the stage.
And I was amazed.
The past couple of weeks for me have been full of the same kind of mind-blowing experiences (minus the yellow feathers and glitter makeup).
I’ve felt like I’ve been sitting in the front row, exposed in all vulnerability to watch God working in my own life and in the lives of others. And He’s shown it all to me in explosive, bright detail.
And I wonder, has God done anything different in the past couple weeks than He always has done? Or has He been working overtime lately?
I think He’s always been this way, it’s just that I’ve been expecting to see it lately. He’s proven Himself faithful and I’ve been watching. He’s shown me not only what He CAN do but what He DOES do. And now I’ve been expecting it.
[I'm not sure if I was a cynic before or if I was just disappointed in myself. Or maybe I was just looking in the wrong place...]
As soon as I began to watch for Him, I saw Him.
And then He was everywhere: in my girls, in a phone call, in that email, even in that harsh word. There He was.
It was as if I’d been sitting in the front row this whole time, but with earplugs shoved in my ears and a blindfold tightly around my eyes.
How cruel.
But I did it to myself.
I’d been front row to brilliance and blaze and the glow of what He can do and I’d been playing with my phone and checking email.
But now I’m watching. And expecting. And I feel like I can see what God is doing. I’m excited to see what is coming next.
Have you been watching for God? What have you seen?
Tags: Cirque de Soleil, expectancy, Mystere, watching God
That’s a wonderful description. Yes, lately I’ve been watching for God and He’s been faithful. I began teaching a new women’s Sunday School class in my church Sunday. Sunday was the first day and God showed up in a way I wasn’t expecting. Thanks for the reminder to watch for Him in every moment of every day. As you so aptly described, He’s always there.
Good Morning Sarah =)
This morning I watched my 16yr old daughter Katie drive off to school for her 1st day as a Junior in high school. I made the sign of the cross over her as she drove away and said a prayer that she will be safe and have a successful Jr year =)
I then went back to my kitchen table and ate my morning toast all alone this morning. Just when I needed a sign from heaven above there it was…a Beautiful humming bird was just outside my patio window fluttering above my bright and sunny flowers. You see when I was just a little girl my mother always fed the birds off our back deck and today when I felt all alone ….I was blessed with the warm and fuzzy feeling of this tiny little humming bird that just stopped by to say Hi!
Sometimes we just Know He is right beside us when we need Him the most. It just made my heart smile when I saw this beautiful little humming bird this morning and I know everything is going to be just fine today =)
He is Always there!
I have to admit that this week I have not been watching for God, my eyes have been on myself – what I think I want/need. I too have been playing with my “stuff” and It’s been a miserable week.
This morning He is turning my eyes back to where they should have been all along – on Him. What I see now is How much He loves me. How He doesn’t expect me to be strong, or to have things together. He knows how weak I am and He offers me His strong hand.
Today and yesterday, not so much. I have allowed myself to be distracted from the view by my 12yo daughter. She is throwing a fit to beat all fits that will have far reaching consequences in her life. And I have been letting this distract me from the bigger picture of what God is doing around, in and through me. Usually, I see Him in everything. Even the daily struggles of having a 14yo with a brain injury, of being unable to work because she needs constant care, of whatever else is going on. But today and yesterday, I closed my eyes. Thank you for reminding me to open them again.
Checking email? Twittering? Updating my FB status? Reading blogs? God is prolly shaking His head at me!!! Its hard to be “in the moment” in our world. I love it when someone reminds me to slow down. Its a relief!!!
Love you Sarah! So glad your story is helping so many. I wish I could print out your affair section and mail it to a friend of mine today. Would that be rude???
Excellent reminder!
Thanks so much for the reminder that I need to keep my focus on God instead of everything that is going on around me. I plan to keep watching for God throughout the day!!
I love your blog!
I am coming out a very difficult valley, trial time. God works in different ways in those times. It’s hard to see the vivid, glorious adventure. But I am making my way out, and trying not to slip back down the mountain. I’m excited for what He has planned next!
This past week Ive seen Him work in my husband, open his heart (a crack) to me and while Im saddened that he still doeenst get my pain Im thankful that hes at least talking to me. The seed I beleive has been planted. I guess whether we stay together or not remains to be seen.
I love it when we see God in everyday things. You’re right, sometimes we forget to look out for him – what a joy when we do notice him again!
My eyes have been too totally focused on what He has NOT healed for a long time. Reading your story and a lot of reflection and time in prayer over the last several weeks has really brought about an awakening of how much I have not ALLOWED Him to heal things that seem impossible to me. Only trusting with the small things, but being too scared and to full of doubt to lay all my pain and horror at His feet and let Him work, DESPITE me. I know He is waiting with hands outstretched.
So I thank you for the example of what can happen when God is truly allowed to intervene in every avenue, in every way, in every area of your life and your marriage.
I absolutely feel I was led here because a lot of our “story” is the same. God knew I needed to tangibly see His work in action and realized to trust enough to take my next step towards him.
I tend to get used to the “cloud by day” and the “pillar of fire by night” and treat it like it was any regular thing. I have a problem with losing the sense of awe and wonder in the mire of the mundane.
Thank you for the reminder to “step back” and see what the Lord has done and doing!!
love you dear
What a great reminder to look for HIM in all of the things we do…and all of the ways HE is saying I love you!! Thanks Sarah!!
Great analogy, Sarah! And great reminder to sit and WAIT expectantly for God to do what He does… amaze us.
i am always amazed at how i see God in my children or through the most unexpected places. thanks for reminding us to keep looking. its easy for me to also forget to look!
Jeremy Camp’s Open Up Your Eyes encapsulates what you’re talking about.
And the time has come to realize
And see the plan you’ve been designed for
So face the fear of all unknown and see the heart inside
So open up your eyes, so open up your eyes
I’m coming to be in the same place, and I haven’t been remotely this aware of God working in my life in so long – I hope I don’t lose sight or take it for granted!
Sarah,
I just found your blog through a blog, through a blog, through a blog I visit frequently. I wanted to thank you for sharing your story.
Enjoying a front row seat in a young man’s life as God is shaping him, molding him, using him, changing him! I’ve been reminded of how God is working in my life…breaking me down and molding me into His image. I NEVER want to stop being amazed at His handiwork and His mercy and grace in my life!!! Help me Lord to not take You for granted! But to stand back in awe as You work!!!
oh, I love all of these!
front row to your daughter’s first day of school, or God in your son’s life. and everything else.
loving what God does…and how he’s been using you in my life. =)
I was just thinking about how God is really looking out for me, this morning, on my way to work. My son’s father and I are not together, though we are on good terms. He lost his job about a month ago and he was the one who provided insurance, and helped pay for half of daycare expenses. When he told me I sat at my desk at work and cried. Being a single mother is hard enough when you’re paying half. Let alone ALL. So I prayed. A lot. And I decided to see if my son would qualify for medicaid. Everyone told me (even a friend who works at the dept) that I would be denied. Last Monday was the last day of the month, and his last say of insurance coverage. He woke up sick and stuffy. I took him to the doctor and they said he had a cold and sent me home. The next day he had a fever. On Thursday I took him to the doctor again. They said it was a virus. No meds. But I didn’t have insurance so I was going to have to pay for it with cash. They were going to bill me. On Friday I stayed home again with him (3rd day out of daycare). On Friday evening I checked the mail and was stunned that he was approved for medicaid. On Saturday night I picked him up out of bed and rushed him to the Emergency Room because he was so very sick. He began to get better over the rest of the weekend and today he went back for a check up (he has pneumonia). I know for a fact that God was watching out for me and my little one. Whenever I think there is absolutely no way that things can be good, they miraculously turn out that way. The power of prayer is my rock. I crave it.
xoxo
Lesli
Hi Sarah,
Bless you, Sarah. . .you words have touched my heart today!
Thank you so much for your words today. I needed to hear them! I’ve been wondering and wandering lately. . . .feeling like God was soooo far away. Why do others seem to have such a vibrant faith and I have a wannabe kind of faith? Today, while doing dishes, the verse “you will find Me when you seek Me with ALL your heart” came to my mind and stuck there. And I thought, just as you did, that God has been right there all along, waiting to have a brilliant relationship with me. But vibrant faiths don’t come to those who only search with half their heart. So between your post and that verse, I think God is trying to tell me something, don’t you?!?!?
wow…what great thots, girl…
it seems when i am looking for God to “perform” in some way…even as an answer to specific prayer…i see Him way differently than when i just lean a bit on Him & listen for Him…
when i take Him at His speed & direction, not my own…He is quite “seeable” & it’s usually then that He takes my breath away…
your heart is so much growing right now! wow again!
love,
dad
Someone I admire very much posted recently: When you go first, you give everyone in your church or your community or your small group or your blog, the gift of going second.
This is what you have done for so many people. And I amazed at how He is using it in so many lives. And how He’s blessing you for your courage!
Thank you Sarah, because of you and your inspiring posts, I’m going to be more grateful, present and aware of MY front row seats to the story of my life. I’ve been so wrapped up in the drama, the comedy, the tradgedy that I haven’t seen the beauty.
I think I’m wanting to watch Him, but scared to open my eyes.
Or too tired. One of the two.