I Spy with My Little Eye…

Have you ever played the “I Spy” game with your kiddos? My first grader loved it this summer and my 3-year-old easily picked it up, too. It proved to be a great way to pass the time on our long drive to northern Michigan for vacation.

Sometimes, though, I look around my messy house, and my brain starts to play its own edition of the game and it’s not nearly as pleasant.

I spy with my little eye, dirty dishes that need to be washed.

I spy with my little eye, toys that were abandoned in the middle of my living room floor.

I spy with my little eye, a stack of bills that need to be paid.

I spy with my little eye, my husband’s Lego collection cluttering my house.

I spy with my little eye, baskets of laundry waiting to be put away.

I spy with my little eye, a “To Do” list that is seemingly never-ending.

But you know what? I spy all of these things – and see them most every day. But I also see two little girls with full bellies, good health, and all the love they could ever need.

In the midst of a motherhood version of the game, it’s easy to focus only on isolated objects and not the total picture (that’s the point of the game, after all). However, the game also provides a good analogy for life. It’s easy to focus on the momentary inconveniences or stresses we are experiencing – but those things don’t make up the whole picture of our lives.

The next time you start to feel overwhelmed or stressed out, ask yourself if you’re caught up in an internal game of “I Spy.” Take a step back and observe the whole picture of your life for a moment. For me, it’s eye-opening to look at that big picture and observe all of my blessings.

Give it a try one day. Suddenly, that stress might not seem quite so bad.