Five Minutes Flat
>> Tuesday, April 12, 2011 –
slow,
small moments
I always figured five minutes were simply five more minutes to squeeze in yet another chore. Dash off an email, toss the dishes in the dishwasher, run a Clorox wipe over the bathroom sink.
I never thought I could spot glory in five minutes flat. I never thought I could commune with God in such a short time. I’d always assumed that it would require a weekend retreat at the monastery. Or at the very least a full hour in the pew on Sunday morning.
Not true, my friends, not true.
Turns out, God appears in five-minute increments, too. Case in point: five days of five minutes, caught right in my own backyard.
Day One:
Have you ever glimpsed a single droplet suspended on bare branch?
Day Two:
Did you ever notice how an unfurling crab apple leaf resembles a blossom itself?
Day Three:
Have you ever caught a beam of light through a magnolia blossom?
Day Four:
Or through a fan of fountain grass?
Day Five:
Did you ever see a bud crack open like an egg?
Have you taken five minutes to glimpse God today? Tell us what you've seen.
Sharing with Laura...
And L.L...
Posts
Just this morning, Michelle...watched a wall of storm clouds receding right into the Eastern sky at dawn. Love having my eyes wide open!
Beautiful wonderous images, my friend. Have a beautiful, wonderous day.
xo Heidi
To glimpse His glory--I never want to miss it. Thank you for this, sweet friend.
well...not yet. thanks for reminding me to open my eyes. right now i see students. all from different backgrounds and homes. all with hearts and souls and needing to be loved. that's glorious.
Aww. I do this too -- I look now and see.
Before I used to look but could not see...
Yellow finches.
Hosta green shoots.
Dogwood. {and I think of the story my mother told}
But, you know I also like to listen -- and the birds --- the birds --- they are God's choir!!!!
Thanks for what you see and the fantastic pictures. I still need to visit that website you told me about to learn how to use my camera better.
*looks around*
Eh. You might have to tell me about it again.
Just another way of saying "stop and smell the coffee"...I think I needed this today, I woke up and my brain was on overload with all the 'to do's' for the day. Thanks!
Love that you claimed those five minute moments for such beauty. Thankful you photographed them to share.
For the record, I learned a lot about using my point and shoot camera from a tutorial over at Melissa's blog "A Familiar Path" -- but I just popped over there and saw that her photo tutorial is no longer on her site. Waaaaaa!
There's always the camera manual...one winter day last year I read mine cover to cover and then practiced using my camera.
Absolutely.
God is everywhere.
And these photographs are just completely loved filled. Nature speaks straight to my heart.
Lovely, very lovely!
Beautiful! What an excellent reminder to be watching for Him in every moment. Just this morning, reading your blog, seeing your pictures, I caught a glimpse of His beauty.
I have a point & shoot-- looking for the manual right now. Thank you for these gorgeous snapshots of God's daily graces. I am inspired.
Beautiful, Michelle. Just beautiful.
Mornings are my favorite time to sit a spell with God and admire his handiwork and listen for his voice ... although evenings are pretty special, too. :)
Michelle...
These photographs are just stunning! Such beauty in five minutes! Wow. You have inspired me, ladybug. Going on a beauty hunt. Right now.
That's what I've been doing this Lent, and the results have been astonishing.
Also, thanks for your kind comments on my blog. The one-year anniversary was actually March 3 (We bloom early this far south!).
Beautiful! Right now I see my children cleaning up!!! And if they keep it up for five minutes, we'll know it was God indeed! :)
pretty shots of sunshine :-)
A child sleeping...a clean house that lasts five minutes...a long kiss by your husband...five minutes with God. Beautiful pictures!
Michelle -- I can't think of anything better to do with five minutes than go on a glory hunt.
I had five minutes on Saturday, and though I was tempted to read or get online and check email just one more time, I just sat in the recliner and breathed. It was so restful.
These photos are exquisite.
Hi Michelle, I came over from LL Barkat's blog (again). I can so relate to what you're saying here. It's weird, I think a lot of us are on the same wavelength or something. My most recent blog post examines the same theme. I took all of the pictures in the post from my front yard. It just goes to show that His Majesty is everywhere present if we'll only take a few moments to become aware. Blessings!
thanks for sharing this loveliness...
You are such a blessing! You are such a wonderful writer! And great photographer! Awesome post!
Just beautiful, Michelle
Timely, this 5 minutes. 5 minutes I can do, yes. Thanks for the reminder on this way too hectic day.
Your photos captivated me. What a wonderful reminder to look for God's grace in 5 minutes.
love the pictures and I am very drawn to these kind of little things in creation and truly it is changing the way I see God in the everyday. He is teaching me that spending time with Him is an easy flow of daily words..not a one hour prayer/study fest..beautiful photography Michelle!
xo
This post gave me the warm and fuzzies.I know the "weekend retreat at a monastery" feeling. I tend toward the dramatic, myself. Ha. But this post was truly inspirational. Can we just stop for FIVE minutes, acknowledge our Creator, praise him, speak our hearts, and know that he is listening? YES! YES! Amen and Amen!
Amazing captures, Michelle, of God's glory. Just think, He could have made the earth gray and flat and dull, but HE DIDN'T!!! Praise God and He also gifted us with the ability to learn how to appreciate the glory of His creation.
Watched and listened to a mockingbird praise God at the top of his lungs this morning while perched in the top of a magnolia tree.. did I have my camera? Nope. :-(
Love these pictures today. I have discovered that if I look for the grace around me, I am amazed at how many things I find. Love your post today. Thank you for reminding me.
Definitely not flat! :)
I have a point & shoot-- looking for the manual right now. Thank you for these gorgeous snapshots of God's daily graces. I am inspired.
Love that you claimed those five minute moments for such beauty. Thankful you photographed them to share.