Attention



As I have been reading Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, he writes this:



I suspect that God really enjoys the attention that he gets from us.  The degree to which we pay attention to him affects not only us.  It affects him.   God was pleased enough that Moses was paying attention to him that he went further than lighting  a botanical candle.  He decided to talk with him.  When God talks and we attentively listen, wonderful, beautiful, and terrifying things happen.

The first and last sentence of the above paragraph stop me in my tracks.  God enjoys the attention that He gets from me.  I have not thought of that before.  Of course it makes sense.  Jesus came to earth to save us and of course he loves us.  John 3:16 tell us this, but I have not boiled it down so far to me.  That God enjoys the attention He gets from me.

I understand this on a human level, in that, one enjoys the attention received from loved ones or friends.  But the God, the Creator of the Universe, seeks, even craves the attention He receives from me.  We do not need to have a theological discussion about how God does not need us or the attention we give him.  That is true.  He does not need it.  But as His beloved children, he wants to talk and engage with Him all the time.

Over the past few years, I read and heard this quote from American Poet, Mary Oliver.

Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

So pay special attention to God, be astonished by the amazing things He is doing and tell about the things of God.

Small disclaimer:  I wrote most of this post in January 2014, but it still holds true today in August 2015!