Stop, and smell the honeysuckle(r)s.

I was on a much needed stress release run this morning and I stopped at my usual place to cool down and pray. After I caught my breath I realized that I was surrounded by a wall full of beautiful blooming honeysuckles.

As a kid I can remember the excitement when honeysuckles started to bloom and I could smell them for the first time that season. The taste, the wonder of this beautiful yummy flower.

The past few months I have been sitting at the feet of a woman at church who I have come to love and respect dearly. One of the last lessons she taught was a deep message about the creation-- difficult to sum up but the gist was about the majesty and beauty God created for me (us) to enjoy. The original plan was for us to just be able to sit, live, work, be in the beauty of God... enjoying his love. It's the "snakes" in life that come along and mess that up . In order to ignore the snake this morning, I decided to stop, smell (and taste) the honeysuckles... just as if I were a little girl again.

After that, my perspective had changed and I couldn't wait to take one back and share with my little guy. His first taste of God's candy. He sat in amazement as mommy showed him how to eat a flower (which he thought was funny)... and shared with him the significance it has to me.


Just a couple minutes later, Joseph walked into the room and Owen exclaimed with excitement "Daddy, guess what?! God gave me a special treat.... a honeysuckleR."

When life is a blur and I can't seem to slow down.... thanks be to God for reminding me that all I need to do is just stop, and smell the honeysuckle(r)s.