Gratitude for those unexpected moments by Claire Musters

A smile from a passing stranger..

A beautiful blossom that has opened overnight…

Conversation with a friend who just ‘knows’ what you need…

Inspiration for a piece of writing…

Interest from a publisher…

A good night’s sleep…

A wonderful and timely gift from a precious couple…

The chance to be stretched in leadership…

Laughter with family…

There are so many ‘little’ moments that we can overlook every day. But God has been reminding me of something He first taught me during a rather frustrating walk with my then toddler daughter. We were walking into town, but it took a good 10 minutes just to walk to the end of our road. She was totally distracted by everything around her.

She noticed a little flower growing through a crack in the pavement, a ladybird crawling up a lamppost, a cat sitting on a garden fence. I was getting more and more impatient, urging her to hurry up and pulling her along with me when God spoke to my heart. He told me to stop rushing her, to get down to her level and really ‘see’ the world through her eyes.

That’s a lesson that has stayed with me ever since. In the moments I’ve been rushing around at warp speed, God has gently spoken to my heart to slow down and open my eyes to what’s around me. And He’s been saying it again this week. It’s a particularly busy time, and so it is easy for me to be too focused on my checklist. So I’m being intentional; grabbing time each day to simply reflect on those unexpected moments that have happened. Those interactions or inspirations that have filled me with joy and gratitude.

What unexpected moments are you grateful for today?

Claire is a freelance writer and editor, mum to two gorgeous young children, pastor’s wife, worship leader and school governor. Claire’s desire is to help others draw closer to God through her writing, which focuses on authenticity, marriage, parenting, worship, discipleship, issues facing women today etc. Her books include Taking your Spiritual Pulse, CWR’s Insight Guide: Managing Conflict and Cover to Cover: David A man after God's own heart and BRF Foundations21 study guides on Prayer and Jesus. She also writes a regular column for Christian Today as well as Bible study notes, and her next book, Insight Guide to Self-acceptance is due out in October. To find out more about her, please visit www.clairemusters.com and @CMusters on Twitter.