I Spy

Amid the flurry of Christmas parties…

a carry-in, an open house, and holiday meals…

…I sat down on my couch and picked up my I Spy Christmas picture riddles book, hoping to relax my mind with the simple task of finding things in a picture.

Why is it so hard to find “a small yellow bow” on a page that is only two feet wide? I puzzled as I hunted, that the human eye and brain is so geared to miss the little details, so prone to glance rather than really see. The makers of the I Spy books make a game out of this human habit of ours, this bent to rush across a page without seeing everything. The little riddles at the bottom of the page force us to pause, to hunt, to run our finger across the page so we won’t miss anything.

And I thought, perhaps we all need a life-size I Spy book? A two-page spread that captures every party plan, phone call, list, gift catalog, checkbook balance or discrepancy, church function, cleaning bucket, undone task, and grocery store checkout line of the season. At the bottom, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a list of things to search for?

I spy a carol, a cashier’s tired face,

A moment of silence, a prayer for grace;

A habit conquered, a sacrifice,

Quiet kindness that changed a life. 

Really, isn’t the challenge of life always to adjust our focus? To glance over what’s not important, and zoom in on what is? To search as long as it takes for the things that matter, both in our lives and in the lives of the people we love most deeply?

And really, we have the riddles already at our finger tips.  Check out 2 Thess 3:16,18–

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

In the flurry of the season, that is what I wish you.  I hope that you can sit on your couch for a minute and find the details of peace and grace that you otherwise might miss.  I hope you take the time to look people in the eye and see the details you otherwise might miss…details that invite you to share peace and grace and truth with them.

Merry Christmas!