The Spiritual Practice of Paying Attention

Have you ever reached the end of a day and realized you were so busy getting through it that you barely remember living it?

I've had days like that lately. Good days. Full days. Productive days. But somewhere between the to-do lists, the notifications, the packing boxes, and everything else that needed my attention, I realized I'd stopped paying attention to the things that mattered most.

Not just to the people around me… But to the quiet ways God was showing up all along.

Summer has a way of doing that.

People keep asking me how summer has been, and honestly, my first thought is, "What summer?"

Somehow, we're already a third of the way through it.

Just last night we looked at the clock, and it was already 9:00 p.m. Our first thought was, "Where in the world did the day go?" Then we started replaying everything we'd done … church, lunch, work, dinner, cleaning, packing, trying to squeeze in a few minutes to sit down before doing it all again tomorrow.

It was no wonder the day disappeared.

Sometimes life puts us on autopilot.

We wake up, tackle the list, answer the texts, make the meals, drive the kids, pay the bills, fold the laundry, and before we know it, another day is gone.

Then another.

Then another.

And somewhere in all of that, we slowly stop paying attention.

Not all at once. Not intentionally.

Just little by little.

Maybe it's been a week since you've opened your Bible.

Maybe it's been two months since you've been in church because life has been filled with sports schedules, vacations, work, and everything else.

Maybe it's been days since you've even talked to God, not even one of those quick little breath prayers that simply says, "Jesus, help me," or "Thank You, Lord. I see what You just did."

It rarely happens overnight. Drifting almost never does. Then life falls apart.

A diagnosis.

A broken relationship.

A financial struggle.

A season of uncertainty.

And suddenly we're looking around asking, "God, where are You? Why aren't You here?"

But maybe He never left.

Maybe we've simply become so distracted that we drifted farther away than we realized.

My family loves telling the story of when I was little and went to the fair with my great-aunt and great-uncle. Somewhere between the animals, the rides, and all the excitement, we got separated. Whether I wandered off or they did, I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I started desperately calling for my Uncle Donnie. I couldn't find him anywhere.

Eventually, someone took me to the fair office, where they made an announcement over the loudspeaker that there was a little girl looking for her Uncle Donnie.

A few moments later, we were reunited.

I've thought about that story a lot over the years.

The reason I couldn't hear him wasn't that he wasn't looking for me. It was because I'd wandered too far away. I had become so distracted by everything around me that I was no longer close enough to hear his voice or reach for his hand.

Isn't that so often what happens to us?

It's not that God has abandoned us.

It's not that He stopped speaking.

It's that life gets loud.

Our calendars get full.

The responsibilities pile up.

We're trying to care for our kids, love our spouses, do our jobs well, keep food on the table, gas in the vehicles, and a roof over our heads.

None of those things are bad. They're part of real life.

But if we're not careful, they slowly become so loud that we stop hearing the One who has been walking beside us all along.

And let me add this in here, too.

 Hebrews 13:16 reminds us, “And do not forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” So in some seasons, loving God well looks like us loving our families well. It’s bringing God into our situations and not casting him out completely. 

There’s a big difference between wandering away due to distractions and inviting God into every moment of our insanely busy lives as moms. 

Not every single moment of every single day is going to look the way we want it to. 

Not every season will look the way we want it to. 

Some seasons we will spend more time with him in prayer, reading our Bible, and all those things, but in other seasons it won’t be possible. And that’s okay. 

Don’t let shame and guilt enter in that’s straight from the enemy. God doesn’t shame us or guilt us. If we have quietly become distracted and wandered, he will give us a sign, shake us up, and bring us back. 

Our biggest ministry as moms is to love our children and our families and love them well, just as Jesus loves us well. 

And if we truly have wandered too far, the beautiful thing about God is that He never stops calling.

Sometimes He uses the hard seasons, the ones that shake us awake, to remind us where our hope has always been. Not because He delights in our pain, but because He loves us enough to keep calling us home.

One of my favorite places to read is through the Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah... those little books tucked near the end of the Old Testament that we often skip over.

Running through almost every one of them is the same invitation:

"Return to Me."

Zechariah 1:3 says,

"Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty.

Joel writes,

"That is why the Lord says, 'Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts... Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate...'" (Joel 2:12-13)

I love that invitation. God isn't standing with crossed arms saying, "You wandered too far this time."

He's standing with his arms open, saying, "Come back."

Maybe today isn't about adding another thing to your to-do list. Maybe it's simply about paying attention again. Notice His goodness. Notice His faithfulness. Notice the quiet ways He's been walking beside you all along.

Open your Bible.

Whisper a prayer.

Take a deep breath and remember that He's never stopped pursuing you.

Because the God who calls us to return isn't waiting to condemn us.

He's waiting to welcome us home.