Five Minute Fridays — Aware

I am a city girl. I was born and raised in the city. Went to colleges in the city. The busyness of life more controlled me. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of life. I would go from work to out with friends to hanging out at parties and running to this and that appointment. The sounds and the smells made me aware that I was home. Until I married my husband, and we moved to rural England.

My husband was in the military and stationed in Lakenheath, England. It is about 30 minutes outside of Cambridge, UK. I arrived there excitedly to realize that my life was completely different now. The traffic was gone. If fact, the only traffic on the road was a tractor going down the street. The hustle and bustle were gone. The sounds and smells took much adjusting. All was still. It was quiet.

In the silence, I became more aware of who God was. When I sat around me, I noticed the beauty of the English countryside and the different structures of the houses. I was able to breathe more, and I prayed more. I felt his presence more. I sought his face more. I could have felt him in the city, but I was so consumed by the busyness that there was no balance. It took the drastic nature of the countryside to slow me down.

Isaiah 30:15
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

The stillness and the quietness taught me to be more aware of the characteristics of God. His love and his grace and his thoughtfulness. To make him aware of who he is.

Friend. I invite you to slow down for moments in the day and seek his presence. Become aware of who He is and what He is doing in your life. Seek his face.