Pause, Notice, and Give Thanks
I have been in a difficult season in my life for some time. One thing after another seems to pull me down as I continue to wrestle with long-term problems as well. In this space, problems quickly come into focus while blessings blur into the background. 
While I know I am not alone, I feel as if I am. Once in that state, it is easy to stay there. Like the lepers of today’s Gospel, I frequently call out spiritually or emotionally, “Unclean! Unclean!” to those around me, standing at a distance even from God, wanting to taste joy and hope but unsure as to how to get back there. I know God wants to pull me close, but He seems so far away.
God’s words, while more powerful than the hopelessness that tries to hold me down, are quieter and more subtle. Like a whisper, they are difficult to hear over the constant noise in my head. I find myself dragging one foot forward and plopping it in front of the other, doing whatever I can to just make my way through the day. But God is calling me to pause and notice the little inklings of change, to reclaim the dreams and holy desires He is calling me back to, to dwell on the fact that I am His beloved. And so are you. 
When we are in difficult seasons, He implores us to remember what He has done for us in the past and the ways He has called us and restored us when we have struggled before. He invites us to recall the dreams and desires He has given us and the ways He has cultivated the corresponding gifts within us.
Like the one leper who returned to give thanks, God is calling us to pause and notice, to receive His blessings, to turn around and return to Him, and to give Him thanks and praise. Those blessings may be small and seemingly insignificant, bringing us back to wholeness slowly, or they may be life-changing, as they were for the leper, restoring us in one huge leap. 
It is important that we pause and notice rather than mindlessly continuing on our way, that we lift our minds and hearts to God and give Him thanks, that we turn our hearts to Him, allowing each blessing to begin an even more important work - that of finding our home with Him once again. 
God can work a miracle in us, big or small. He can begin the work of restoring our hearts. But if we don’t pause long enough to receive the gift and lift our hearts back to Him, His love and healing can’t penetrate as deeply as He intends. He wants to give us hope and draw us back to His heart. Will you let Him? 
By Kimberly Andrich