Giving God our Attention in Times of Waiting

Look at Me! Look at Me!

I find myself in a season of transition, waiting. We have been planning for over a year to travel full-time in a caravan and explore our beautiful country, Australia. The timeline was carefully organised for all the pieces to fit together perfectly: finishing work, moving out of our apartment and the delivery of our custom-made caravan.

Then COVID hit, and there was a delay on our van.

We had three options. We could delay our resignation dates, moving the finishing line back a couple of months and continue our working lives until the van was ready. Or, we could try to break our caravan contract and purchase a pre-built van that was ready immediately to hit the road without delay. Or, thirdly, we could find interim accommodation and wait.

We went with option three.

We found a short-term rental apartment with a view of the ocean, where we will spend the next six weeks, waiting. We have been very intentional in reframing our situation as a gift rather than an imposition. Neither my husband nor I have ever had a six-week vacation. We have been living at a hectic pace for far too long, and the opportunity to slow down for a season will be restorative for us both.

This morning as I sat on the balcony, scanning the ocean for whale splash, listening to my One Minute Pause meditation, I heard God impress the words on my heart, "Look at Me! Look at Me!" It was kind of funny, as hubby had just come to tell me he had finally found a way to get Netflix to work on the TV, and I struggled to share his excitement. I have nothing against TV or Netflix; on the contrary, I enjoy both often. I just know that when I am watching TV, I miss the whale splashes that fill my heart with so much joy. I see whatever I'm looking at, and God asked me to look at Him.

I remember my young children crying out, "Look at me! Mum, watch me!" They wanted my full and undivided attention; not my distracted multi-tasking glances. They knew the difference, and they didn't like being short-changed for attention.

God wants my full attention. So often in the busyness of work and family life, God got my distracted, multi-tasking attention, reading my Bible while listening to the news in the background, praying while driving to work, listening to snippets of sermons while folding laundry or doing dishes. And these were all good things, well, maybe not watching the news while reading my Bible, but everything else is. And during some seasons of life, this is all you can get. These short moments sustain us through the long nights of parenting sick children and the long days of deadlines and meetings.

However, I've gotten in the habit of settling for these snatched moments rather than carving out focused time, unhurried time, to linger in His presence. Jesus modelled this. He would sneak away in the early morning to a quiet place, climb a mountain or sit by the lake. He didn't let his busy schedule or the expectations of ministry steal that time alone with the Father.

Even on vacation, I can easily fill my days with activity (now that Netflix is working) and settle with snippets of time with God. So here in this time of waiting, in between my previous life and future life, I will find a new routine with good habits and priorities. I will look for God, focus on Him, and give Him my full attention. I know He has something for me, and I know it will be something good.