It’s amazing how inspiration can come in the most ordinary moments. Most recently for me, it was during my morning commute into downtown Washington, DC. As I watched the US Capitol Building gleaming in the morning sunlight, a powerful sense of peace and calm covered me like a blanket. Without warning, I found myself seated in the presence of God.
It was a quiet, hidden glory. Sitting next to several dozen other commuters checking their cell phones and going about their morning routine, I was experiencing a moment of clarity. Nothing around me had changed, but something inside me did. My eyes were opened. Everything seemed bathed in a new light.
And as silly as it sounds, a melody from the original Willy Wonka movie came into my mind. I began to sing the words to myself:
“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it.”
In that moment, the song was no longer just a charming melody from a motion picture. It was a personal message spoken to my heart. I was getting a glimpse of beauty. I didn’t go looking for it; paradise found me. What might life be like if I practiced this kind of awareness always? What hidden love and freedom would I experience?
There is a life and power that lies behind every ordinary moment. Far too often, I trample it in my rush to get to whatever’s coming next. I walk right through the oasis, ignoring the springs of water, instead chasing a mirage on the horizon. And I imagine myself daring!
Want to change the world? Yes, I do. And like Wonka says, “There’s nothing to it.” It’s not about me at all. If I’ll just let go and allow the Holy Spirit to transform my vision, everything will change.
Has your life been touched by an unexpected change in perspective? Have you encountered this hidden beauty in the ordinary? How would it feel to live in this awareness, to have your world changed by it?
I totally identify with what you describe here. It is intense and often very brief, but brings me to tears. I wish I could grasp it, but it slips as all the distractions of my day push back in. Kenneth Boulding captures the reality of it in his last Nayler sonnet: “While yet we see with eyes, must we be blind? Is lonely mortal death the only gate to holy life eternal–must we wait until the dark portcullis clangs behind our hesitating steps, before we find abiding god” Ah, no, not tat our fate; our time-bound cry ‘too early’ or ‘too late’ can have no meaning in the Eternal Mind. The door is open, and the Kingdom here–yet Death indeed upon the threshold stands to bar our way–unless into his hands we give our self, our will, our heart, our fear. And then–strange resurrection!–from above is poured upon us life, will, heart, and love.”
Thank you, Rene!
Micah, Thank you for sharing this witness. Witnessing this new life in all circumstances and in all things during daily life is the Kingdom of Heaven come alive!
Thank, Keith!