How to See Holy Moments in Your Check-Off-the-Christmas-List Days

And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” (Luke 5:26)

I was pushing my cart through the grocery store, deleting items from the list on my phone as I went. Check, check, check. I was almost done. Then, as I steered my cart around a corner, it came slowly into view, followed by an older man with gray hair and a sweater that reminded me of Mr. Rogers. He shuffled by, using the cart for stability as he searched for his items. I paused, making sure he had enough room to pass. Then I slowed, waiting to see if he might need help. As we both made our way down the rows, I asked myself and maybe even the Lord if he needed help. But he seemed fine.

For some reason, almost as if I floated above myself like Scrooge, I noticed in that quick moment that my mind shifted from my list to this man and his needs.

Then I started to see the rest of the people pushing carts: the grandma buying treats that were surely meant for grand-littles; the older man who circled and backtracked in the store with a list his wife made; the mom with toddlers keeping her people occupied as she quickly grabbed her items; and the older mom filling her cart for her soon-to-be-full-again house.

My heart warmed as I thought of the tables where these items would land.

In a season filled with so many to-do’s, our checklists require our attention. We have to get the things done – people are counting on us. And. Right there, next to the frozen pizzas, this trip turned into something else. No, nothing actually transpired – I don’t have any interactions to share with you except for the lady who talked to me about kitty litter – but the part of me that led this shopping trip changed.

What began in my mind with the goal of a finished list ended with an open heart. I started to see past my list.

How often do I miss what’s right in front of me? How many times have I plowed through my musts to get to the next thing and missed the souls in my path?

This grocery visit came to mind once again when I read this beautiful story of making our way to Jesus:

“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” (Luke 5:18-19)

This story of men so burdened by their friend’s need that they leave the rules behind and lift roof tiles, allowing nothing to get in the way of meeting Jesus – this is what we want, isn’t it?

And then I look at the Pharisees in the verse right before:

“One day, while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.)” (Luke 5:17)

They’ve traveled from afar, gathered from all directions, with the goal of getting TO Jesus. But as the story unfolds, as accusations are flung at Jesus, we see how far they still were from Him. They sat nearby. They stopped short.

We can miss seeing the hearts around us when our lists get in the way.

We can miss seeing the extraordinary because our to-do’s require our attention.

And then we can miss Jesus because we’re focused only on what we expect. Because we find what we expect.

And that makes my heart ache. I’m grieved at the thought of Jesus being right there, and I’m only just nearby. Ann Voskamp wrote, “What we pay attention to is how we spend our lives.” (Sacred Prayer, p. 39) My grocery store visit that day gave me a glimpse of how easy it is to miss the souls all around me. And how easy it is to see them.

In these weeks before Christmas, we get to choose. What we pay attention to is filled with promise, opportunity, and hope. We can learn from the roof-lifting friends and the paralyzed man. We can choose what the shepherds, Mary, and the wise men did.

Amazement seizes those who sit at Jesus’ feet.

Let’s pay attention.

Let’s be amazed.

Let’s see the most extraordinary things.