Paying Attention to Everyday Grace & Joy

Posted by DJL on Mar 4, 2015 in Living Well | 2 comments

I’m a huge believer that simply paying attention is one of the most important things we can do if we seek to live meaningful lives in community with others.

Of course it’s not just paying attention in general, it’s actually looking out for moments of grace and joy in particular. There are plenty of things out there that, if we pay attention exclusively to them, will induce us to lose confidence and hope and tempt us to believe there is little that is good and beautiful in the world. Not only are these elements before us, but there is an entire news/media industry that seeks to draw these things to our attention in order to create a larger viewing audience (because we are evolutionarily drawn to pay attention to potential threats).

Which means that we actually have to work at paying attention to joy, beauty, and grace. And when we do…when we notice some of the amazing things all around us in the ordinary – an evening of laughter with a friend, a shared secret, a hug just when you need it, the delight of watching young children at play, the warmth of the sun after a week of rain, snow, and clouds – we are re-oriented from threat to possibility and from despair to joy.

Please be clear, I’m not trying to offer a panacea to the major problems around us, let alone to the serious challenges we may face in every day life. Nor do I want to suggest that those who struggle with depression or other debilitating illnesses should just “look on the bright side.” Not at all.

But I do want to suggest that every single one of us can not only lead richer lives but also encourage those around us by looking for the amazing “coincidences” of grace that surround us. But we need to pay attention. To look for them. To lift them up. And to give thanks for them.

Ever notice how much you enjoy being around one of those persons who sees the possibilities in almost every situation and relentlessly looks for good in the people she or he is around? Well guess that? You can be one of those persons.

One of my “quotations to live by” is by Henri Nouwen: “Joy doesn’t just happen. You have to choose joy…and keep choosing it.” The Apostle Paul would agree. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” Paul tells his friends at Philippi (4:4). But then he goes on to say

“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (4:8)

Paul knew, you see, how powerful is our selective attention.

Okay, so with all that in mind, I’ll now come clean and say that the title and short description of the following TED Talk by Portuguese magician Helder Guimarães is what initially inspired these reflections. And then I watched it…and realized it had very little to do with what I just wrote! 🙂 But it’s a fun few moments in any event, and I love magic, and it at least invites us to pay attention. So I’ll post it and let you decide. (But it really is rather amazing!)

Blessings on your day as you seek and share ordinary moments of extraordinary grace!

Notes: 1) If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click on the title at the top of the post in order to watch the video. 2) For those who may be concerned, there is some explicit language in the video.