Good morning…
“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy,” sings the John Denver lyrics in my brain as I scroll through beach photos on my phone. Even as I cozy up on our couch at home, I sense the oceanic rhythms of God continuing to melt layers of me.
I am reminded of truth shared by our friend Dr. Cathy Snapp, co-author of The Hidden Life Awakened. To disconnect negative thoughts and rewire positivity, Cathy says it takes only 25 to 30 seconds of focusing our full attention on something beautiful, something awe-inspiring, something for which we are deeply grateful. Startled awake by a quirky nightmare, the simple act of looking over beach photos melts my irrational panic and peace expands through the layers of me.
A similar thing happened earlier in the week. A friend asked to talk by phone. He was distraught, disappointed, despairing about our nation. As we talked back and forth, really listening and honestly sharing, God’s peace gradually rose between us, like the sun dispelling the dark of night. By day’s end, my friend sent me the YouTube video below.
“My gift to you,” he texted. “The ending is inspiring.”
“So so awesome,” I texted back after melting into the music. “The whole thing is awe-inspiring. The ending makes me realize it took place before the pandemic. I look so forward to live music again. Until then, this helps to fill the void.”
“Yes,” he agree. “Live music is good for the soul.”
Now let’s turn our focus this Sabbath morn to the gifts of George Winston. Focusing twenty-five to thirty seconds on these creatively mesmerizing sounds will do our souls so much good.
Live a cheerful life, without complaining or division among yourselves. For then you will be seen as innocent, faultless, and pure children of God, even though you live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe, offering them the words of eternal life (Philippians 2:14-16a, TPT).
…Sue…
