Recently I had the opportunity to work with students in Southeast Asia. They traveled to their area to assemble for a five-day PREP experience. PREP stands for pursuing responsibility with excellence purposefully.
My assignment was to share my thoughts on pursuing; I went to my go-to resources for understanding a word; the thesaurus, dictionary, and the Bible.
As I was studying pursuing and the things we pursue or even what it means to be pursued, I realized there is a preamble to pursuing. You’ve got to see what you seek. You’ve got to see something before you go after it.
As I thought about my ability to see and how to communicate learning to see to students, this thought from Ruth Haley Barton came to mind.
The spiritual journey can be understood as the movement from seeing God nowhere, or seeing God only where we expect to see him, to seeing God everywhere, especially where we least expect him.
Ruth Haley Barton, Pursing God’s Will Together
It takes an intentional eye to see God in unexpected places. I take daily walks as a part of that exercise to enter into ordinary experiences to see the extraordinary.
Sharing these first lyrics to the hymn Open My Eyes by Clara Scott. May we all see where we don’t yet see today.
Open my eyes that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now, I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!