I Spy...

In the van on the way to church, the kids love to play a little guessing game. "I spy with my little eye something blue (or red, or green, or orange...)." They try to guess whether the item is in the van or outside and this simple game keeps their eyes and minds occupied for quite a while.

One day, when they tired of finding random objects, I suggested that we try to find things that reminded us of God. The game became a new way to seek Jesus as we looked for His traces in everything around us.

I spy Jesus...in that beautiful sunset.
I spy God in the sparkly frost covered road.
I spy the Lord in your joy-filled face.

I spy God in that person who helped us out of the ditch.
I spy Jesus in you when you hug me so tightly I think I might burst.

As it turns out, spying God all around us was pretty easy to do.

I was recently reminded that this is what the apostle Paul meant:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

"I spy" isn't just a game for children, but for all us who seem to lose sight of God in the midst of our busy days.

When things start to get overwhelming, maybe we need to pause and play a game of "I spy."

When discouragement starts to creep in, we need to take a minute to play "I spy."

When temptation hits, the way out may be a simple game of "I spy."

If we just keep our eyes open, God isn't hard to find at all.