An Unremarkable Gesture

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Lam 3:22, 23)

When my brother and I were little, my dad took us out for a day trip to New York City. We went to many places around the city, but the memory that stands out to me most occurred on the train ride back home. My brother and I were eating a snack, each with a napkin in our hands. After we had finished, we wiped our hands and mouths with the napkins, and left them crumpled in our hands. My dad, seeing that we were done, reached his arm over and took the used napkins from our hands so we wouldn’t have to hold them. I looked up at his face, and his eyes, though not looking directly at me, were full of gentleness and tenderness.

My dad’s action seems like nothing out of the ordinary, yet it touched my little heart, leaving a clear imprint in my mind. Through his unremarkable gesture and the look in his eyes, I began to realize and feel the immense love my dad held for us.

Although we have grown up knowing that God loves us, many times we may have trouble seeing or feeling His love in our lives. We read of Jesus’ mighty works and hear testimonies of miraculous healings, but in our own lives we see nothing of the sort, nothing worth noting. We have become blind to the small blessings, the mercies that are new every day.

How often have we developed a cold one day and recovered the next? Stepped off a plane after a safe flight? Stood in the shade of a tree on a hot, sunny day? Lay down to sleep and gotten up peacefully (Ps 4:8)? All without a second thought.

Just as my dad’s unremarkable gesture conveyed his remarkable love for his children, God’s extraordinary love for us is often manifested through ordinary means. We just need to open our eyes to all the raindrops of blessings we receive. And if we look up at God to thank Him, we’ll see that even the unremarkable things are given fully with gentleness and tenderness.

Question for Reflection:

What “unremarkable” gestures have you received from the Lord recently?