How to Pay Attention to the Right Things
What we pay attention to, we remember.
And what we remember, we anticipate.
I listened as author and psychiatrist Curt Thompson shared these words at a conference last month, and I knew I had to write them down. They’ve been ringing in my ears and in my heart ever since. I love how Thompson has a way of connecting brain science with God’s design for us and how this helps us thrive in life and relationship with Him and with others. The statements come back to me afresh:
What we pay attention to, we remember.
And what we remember, we anticipate.
Over and over I find them to be true in my own life as well. When I pay attention to God’s presence and working today—when I pause to notice and savor His goodness with a heart of gratitude—I will remember His faithfulness more deeply. And what I remember about the goodness of God marks how I anticipate the future, too.
If I look around and see only stress and chaos, that will also be what I expect in the seasons to come. But if I stop to give thanks for God’s provision in the little and big things day by day, I will expect to see His provision tomorrow and next year, too. This is the life of walking by faith.
Daily practice
So what does it look like for me to pay attention and practice gratitude? While this practice has been vital in my life for many years, it hasn’t looked the same in every season. I first became intentional about making an actual gratitude list around the time I read Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts almost a decade ago, not too long before my husband was diagnosed with the cancer that eventually took his earthly life about a year later.
Even though I knew it was important at the time, I still couldn’t begin to imagine how pivotal that practice would become in the challenging seasons ahead. I made it as simple as possible—I opened the “notes” app on my phone and wrote “Thank You” for a title. Then I added 2-3 brief phrases per day to name specific blessings and included the date after each entry on the list. A message from a friend, an unexpected rainbow, a child’s smile . . . anything that reminded me of God’s care and provision.
Remembering
When I would be having an especially difficult day or moment, I could scroll back through my list and remember the faithfulness of God. The extra bonus of including the dates prompted my heart to notice that even on specific days that triggered a hard memory, the only thing listed by the date in that particular note is how God provided good. The record of His gifts of grace could swell my faith once again to ignite fresh hope and trust that God would continue to provide in His perfect love.
Savoring and reflecting
While I kept up with recording gratitude lists in this way for several years, I have to confess that I haven’t been consistent in doing so more recently. Yet as seasons have shifted, I still find ways to pause, pay attention, and give thanks. These days it seems to be best summed up in two words: savoring and reflecting. The expressions can take many forms:
~ Stopping to soak in a sunrise with thanks to the Artist who so masterfully painted it
~ Going for a sunset walk in silence and prayer
~ Pausing to literally smell the roses or take a picture of wildflowers
~ Taking an extra breath to whisper a prayer of thanks to God after a kind word from a friend
~ Journaling prayers of thanks from the past week on a quiet Saturday morning
~ Looking back through recent pictures to recall beauty and gifts
~ Writing a blog post or Treasure Hunt Tuesday email to remember and share God’s grace
All these acts of savoring and reflecting help me pay attention in some way. And when I pay attention to God’s working with gratitude in my heart, I remember His faithfulness. This remembering spurs me on to anticipate God’s grace upon grace for the future as well—day by day and season by season in His unfailing love.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 (NLT)
Meet Ruth Heinzmann
Ruth Heinzmann has a passion to look for the gifts of grace God provides in every season and circumstance, and she writes a weekly “Treasure Hunt Tuesday” email to share some of those gifts and encouragement. You can read more of her writing and sign up to receive the treasure hunt emails via her website, outofhisfullness.com.
Ruth lives in southern Illinois and recently completed her master’s degree in spiritual formation. She currently works as a hospice chaplain, enjoys serving in the worship ministry at her local church, loves spending time in nature (with a special preference for beach get-aways!), and is always up for hanging out with her niece whenever possible.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
Creating Ripples
If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
