Now!
Give heed!
I am teaching:

Observe,
live,
enter…

The God of your ancestors
is giving you…

Keep the Lord your God,
observe diligently…
show wisdom
and discernment.

Surely, is god so near…
whenever we call.

Care,
and watch closely.
Neither forget the things
your eyes have seen,
nor let them slip –
Make them known!

Reading this poem after I’d gone through the blackout poetry process made me ask what it means to observe – to pay attention or to notice – God in our midst. This passage is about keeping God’s commandments, but as I read the words that had leapt out at me, I wondered if it’s also about living – entering fully into the life God is giving, keeping God at the center, and trusting that God is surely near whenever we call (and even when we don’t).

How do we care about this way of living and watch closely for the traces of God, remembering what we’ve seen (and heard and felt and experienced, for that matter) and sharing that with others?

Some reflection questions:

• What is God giving you? What has God given you? Is there something you’d like God to give?
• How might you keep God at the center of your daily life even in chaotic and hectic moments?
• What are the things you want to make known about what you have seen, heard, experienced, and/or felt of God?

© Annabelle P. Markey