when you look outside your window
A few posts back, Heidi left this question:
What does God stir in your heart when you look outside your window?
At this moment, as I look out my living room window, I see dark. I see shadows. I’m not sure if God stirs anything in my heart, but sometimes when I look out the window at night I think about what’s happening in my life… What’s happening tomorrow… What I need to do… Right now I need to get the power point slides ready for this weekend’s retreat – and I really should practice the piano again before I go to bed, because a disappointing piano lesson awaits me in the morning. What stirs in my heart? Worry that I don’t have enough time. That I clearly haven’t managed it well this week.
Tomorrow, when the sun is up, I will see bright colors. I will see that even the vines and ivy growing outside will change color with the season. What stirs in my heart then? I’m amazed that our surroundings can be so beautiful. I’m amazed that there are portions of the world that turn into a foliage rainbow for just a few weeks every year.
In a few months, I’ll probably see a bright blinding white outside. We live on the ground level, so I can tell if it’s snowing at night by looking at the ceiling. If it is glowing, the exterior lights are reflecting off of newly fallen snow and up through the curtains. It’s magical. What stirs then? Curiosity. I want to get up and see how much snow has fallen. How big the flakes are. How hard the silent snow is coming down. I’ll probably get up and crack the curtains.
Our first year here, I constantly thought of home when I looked outside the window. The trees were unfamiliar. The seasons were unfamiliar. This place was unfamiliar. Now, when I look out I see familiar trees and seasons… I see home.
What stirs in your heart when you look out your window?
mmm… i love your answer to this.
when i look out the window, sometimes i’m overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. sometimes i’m stunned by God’s handiwork, in nature and in my life. sometimes i’m burdened by how little i seem to get done in a day. sometimes i’m in awe of how much God seems to do in me and through me. sometimes the dark clouds mirror my heart. sometimes the sunshine mirrors my heart. sometimes i turn away and refuse to look, out of fear or doubt or complacency or hurt. sometimes i can’t seem to turn my eyes away, not wanting to miss a single thing.
and then sometimes an ostrich comes and pecks at the window!
When I look at window in my apartment I face a freeway. A very busy one and I look at each car pass and say to myself: Where are they going? Who’s in the car with them? Why are they in a hurry? I wonder if they are happy or sad.
But mostly, I wonder if I jumped in my car with no reservations, unlimited gas… where I go? Who would I see?
Who would God want me to meet with?
Right now I see darkness. I think that the feelings that God is stiring in my heart would be calmness. Lol. All day I put on a mask for everyone and at night thats when I take it off and I allow myself to be whatever.
Right now out my window is a blizzard raging and winds pounding on my house.
What stirs in my heart is amazement because I’ve never seen snow like this in such great amounts, and I’m told this is NOTHING compared to what is to come.
Longing stirs in my heart because I miss Jake and I know he would LOVE to see this. He loves the snow.
A bit of fear stirs in my heart too at the thought of having to possibly drive in it tomorrow.
My goal is to not leave the house, but dang it we need milk. 
Hope stirs in my heart as well. Hope that we will have a white Christmas, which is of course the best kind to have! Jake and I always talk about wanting a white Christmas.
HA!!
And I’m a bit cold when I look outside. Seriously, it’s freezing out!
I’m going to sound spoiled but it’s where God placed us for a time and we NEVER take it for granted.
When I look out the window, I see all of Lake Zurich (approx. 35km long). I see mountains to the right of me already covered in snow. I see orchards on either side where the last of Fall harvest is hanging. I see villages dotting the other side of the lake. I see a church steeple down the hill and when the bells start ringing, can actually read the time from the church clock.
Whether snow, rain, shine or fog, I am reminded each day of a Creator God. One with beautiful imagination who designed a beautiful world. His majesty overwhelms me.
I know we will have to move, could be sooner than later, but I have been given this gift and will cherish it always.