Hearing the rushing sounds of Amicalola Falls crashing down for 729ft is an incredible experience! It was a Mesa Moment for me! It is hard for me to believe that this waterfall is tucked away in the North Georgia Mountains just an hour and a half from our house. The site took my breath away, not just at the rushing water, but also at the realization that a view this beautiful was so close to our house.
It is a moment of grace when we wake up to the realization of the gift right in front of us! How often, though, do we miss the gift that God placed right in front of our eyes?
As we begin the third week of Lent, I challenge each of us to wake-up to the daily gifts God places in front of us. There will be few moments in our daily lives that mirror the magnitude of a 729 foot waterfall at first glance. But we are given daily moments with our families, with our friends, with our work colleagues, and in our own back-yard that can have the same profound effect as viewing a waterfall for the first time–a moment of grace where we realize the gift right in front of us!
Sometimes, the gift to see, begins with a simple prayer of asking God to give us the gift of awareness.
How can we wake-up to the gifts placed in front of us in our daily lives?
This Lent, can I pray for the grace of awareness of God in my daily life?
Becky Eldredge
Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.
Such a beautiful waterfall. I can quite understand why standing here could take your breath away in wonder and delight.