If you are in the habit of rushing around or being too busy, I challenge you to slow down, look around you, and find beauty in the little things.
As I am writing this, I’m gently reminded of the seconds going by. It's a calm winter night, yet I can hear the clocks in my house slowly ticking away. At one time, the very notion of a ticking clock would have been enough to send me into a tailspin, yet right now, I feel at peace. There is beauty in little things if we are looking for them—even the things that might have once stressed us out.
At the beginning of the year, I started making a habit of picking up old hobbies I used to enjoy. Due to struggling with depression, I haven’t been able to do many of these hobbies for years because depression had stripped all of my joy away. I saw that there was no point in doing these activities, which I realize now was just depression. Just because something might not be “productive” or have an end goal doesn’t mean that it isn’t something worth doing.
Since starting to pick up old hobbies, such as photography, art, and creative writing, I have found it easier to find beauty in the little things. On a cold winter’s day in the past, I would have just focused on getting from point A to point B, but now that I was challenging myself to do something creative each day, rushing was no longer an option. I had to slow down, observe more, and pay attention to little things.
Flowers in Winter
The most recent of beauties that caught my attention was flowers blooming in the middle of January. These beautiful yellow flowers are early blooms, yet they caught my attention. If I was rushing by, as I have done many times, I would have never noticed these beautiful flowers. However, by actively looking for the beauty in things and slowing down, I was able to enjoy these beautiful flowers as well as share the photographs I took with others.
While I am in no way a professional photographer, the photographs truly captured the yellow flowers. Anyone who would look at the photographs I took could easily be captivated by the bright yellow flowers against a cold winter day. If you are in the habit of rushing around or being too busy, I challenge you to slow down, look around you, and find beauty in the little things. Maybe this could be picking up a new hobby or falling in love with an old hobby again.
No matter what you choose, you will be sure to find beauty in the little things. Another hobby I have recently started again is artwork. I have had many people throughout my life say negative things about my artwork, which ultimately caused me to give up any sort of art. I was too embarrassed by my artwork because I had such negative reviews. Despite the hatred and judgment I got for my artwork, I still have always loved art.
Starting art again has helped me realize that I can do a hobby just because I like it. It doesn’t have to complete a task or “get something done.” I can do artwork, photography, pottery, or anything else just because I enjoy it, and you can too. It seems to be that when you rediscover these small joys you are better at seeing the beauty in everyday life. Life has a way of getting us down, but finding beauty in little things that we enjoy can open up our hearts and minds to more joyful expressions of love, kindness, and happiness.
Beauty in Others
Finding the beauty in little things can also be found in others. Sadly, we can overlook our everyday encounters with others until one day when they are no longer beside us. Our friends, our family members, and our partners may not always be with us. There can be problems, and death will come one day. It is good to pay attention to our loved ones, to not take them for granted, and to spend time with them.
We can be distracted by the things of the world, but in truth, none of these things can make us happy. Staring at a cell phone screen for hours doesn’t make any of us happy. It makes us feel more depressed, lonely, and dissatisfied with life. God doesn't want us to live a life behind a screen. Instead, He wants us to experience the beauty in little things because it is all part of His beautiful creation, including other humans. We can find beauty in the people we are around each day.
The laugh of a friend, the smile of a parent, or the hug of a partner are all things that remind us of beautiful things in life. If we are not careful, we will overlook these things and take them for granted. As someone who has lost loved ones, I can share with you that it is terrible to look back and know that you spent more time with other things than you did with your loved ones. We need to choose to put all distractions away and start finding the beauty in all things, including our loved ones.
None of us are promised forever with our loved ones during this earthly life. This is why we need to always be thankful for them and to know that having a loving spouse, family, and friends are true gifts of God. All of these beautiful things point us back to our wonderful and amazing Creator God. In other words, everything in the world that we see was created by God. This, in turn, attests to the beauty and majesty of God.
Admiring God’s Handiwork
This leads us to admire God’s handiwork. Looking at the small things and noticing their beauty brings our hearts back to the Lord. We should not be thinking about all of the things we lack or the things we are striving for. Instead, we need to be looking at God—who loves us beyond comprehension (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). His love for us far outweighs any other type of love, and it never changes.
Each time we take time to find beauty in little things, we are praising God. The first bloom of spring, the first leaf that falls during fall, or the first snowfall are all things that point us to God. If we are careless, we will miss these small acts of beauty. They can quickly disappear or go unnoticed if we are not looking for them. None of these things will endure forever, which is why we need to appreciate all of these things better.
This also includes our loved ones. They could be here today and gone tomorrow. Spend time with them. Take time out of your day to truly be present with them. Make memories. Together, you can both find the beauty in little things and talk about how they point us back to Jesus. Life is much better when it is spent with others, following Jesus, and taking time to notice the little things.
If you start looking for beauty in little things, you might find that it starts to become a daily habit. I know for me, it has certainly become a daily habit. Whether I’m at home, going somewhere, or with others, I am always looking for beauty in little things. Life is short and we would be wise to not let it pass us by. We need to stop thinking in terms of constant wants and choose to find beauty in the things we already encounter each day.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Andrey Danilovich
