The Power of Paying Attention

Life gets busy, and we can miss what matters most. This episode explores how paying attention can deepen our faith, relationships, and walk with God.

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Transcript

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Welcome to Step Out Sis, the podcast where we grow, heal, and walk confidently in God's calling. I am your host, Sharon. Can I ask you something? Have you ever been so busy that you completely missed something happening right in front of you? Not because you didn't care, you just got busy. That happened to me last week. And believe it or not, God used my dog Bailey to remind me of something I didn't know I needed to hear. Now, if you've been listening for a while, you already know Bailey. Over the past several days, I noticed she was scratching. Not constantly, nothing that made me panic, but just enough that I noticed it. And then kept going. Life was busy. Work, church, the podcast. And then one day I picked Bailey up and I noticed her little belly was really irritated. I immediately gave her some allergy medicine, put a little cream on her belly, and by the next day she was feeling a lot better. But what stayed with me wasn't that Bailey got better. It was this. It wasn't that I didn't love Bailey, because I absolutely love my dog. I had just gotten so busy living life that I stopped paying close attention. And that stuck with me because if I could miss something happening to someone I love, what else have I been missing? And maybe that's a question we all need to ask ourselves. As I prayed about it, I realized this really isn't a story about Bailey. It's a story about what happens when life gets so full that we stop noticing what's right in front of us. Not because we don't care, not because we don't love people, but because our attention gets pulled in so many different directions. I don't think most of us intentionally neglect the people we love. I think we're just tired. We're juggling responsibilities, trying to meet deadlines, taking care of everybody else, putting out fires all day long, and somewhere in the middle of all of that, we stop paying attention. Sometimes our spouse has been carrying something for weeks before we notice. Sometimes our children aren't asking for another lecture, they're asking for connection. Sometimes our parents have quietly started slowing down. Sometimes our friends keep saying, I'm okay, but something in their voice tells us they're really not. And sometimes we stop paying attention to ourselves. Our body starts sending signals, our mind stays overwhelmed, our joy slowly starts disappearing, and because we are so used to pushing through, we don't even realize what's happening. One of the things I love most about Jesus is that he noticed people. Jesus never lost sight of people. He noticed the people everyone else overlooked, the hurting, the lonely, the forgotten. He wasn't so focused on where he was going that he missed the person standing right in front of him. Where everyone else saw a crowd, Jesus saw individuals. And that really challenged me because I had to ask myself, have I become so focused on everything I need to do that I've stopped really seeing the people God has entrusted to me? Attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give. You know, watching Bailey get better reminded me of something. She couldn't tell me what was wrong. She just kept scratching, hoping I would notice. And I wonder how many people around us are doing the very same thing. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. They're overwhelmed, discouraged, lonely, anxious, grieving, and not everybody knows how to ask for help. Sometimes they're just hoping somebody will notice. Maybe sometimes love looks like slowing down, looking someone in the eye, asking one more question, listening without trying to fix everything, putting your phone down, and being fully present. This week, God gently reminded me that productivity can never replace presence. There will always be another email, another meeting, another project, another responsibility. But the people he's placed in our lives, those moments don't always come back around. And I don't want to become so productive that I stop noticing people. I don't want to become so focused on accomplishing things that I miss opportunities to love well. So here's my challenge for the both of us. Don't add another thing to your to-do list. Instead, notice one person. Really notice them. Sit a little longer. Ask one more question. Listen without already thinking about what you're going to say next. Put your phone down for a minute and then ask God, Lord, is there someone or something you've been trying to get me to notice? Maybe it's your spouse. Maybe it's your child. Maybe it's your aging parent. Maybe it's a friend. Or maybe it's you. Bailey reminded me of something I'll never forget. Sometimes love isn't absent. Sometimes is. And maybe this week God isn't asking us to accomplish more. Maybe he's inviting us to notice more. To notice Him. To notice the people He's entrusted to us. To notice the moments we've been rushing past. Because sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is simply be fully present. That's what stepping out looks like. Sis, if this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to share it with another woman who might need this reminder. Be sure to follow the podcast, and if you haven't already, leave a rating or a review. It really does help other women find Step Out Sis. And before you go, visit Steppoutsis.com and join the Inner Circle email list so you'll never miss a new episode, encouragement, or what's coming next. And with that, I will see you next week right here on Step Out Sis.