By Danny Minton

“Say, Pooh, why aren’t you busy?” I said.
“Because it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.
“Yes, but___”
“But you could be doing something important,” I said.
“I am,” said Pooh.
“Oh? Doing What?”
“Listening,” he said.
“Listening to what?”
“To the birds. And that squirrel over there.”
“What are they saying?” I asked.
“That it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.
“But you know that already,” I said.
“Yes, but it’s always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too,” he replied.
(“The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Huff)

Those of us old enough to remember only having AM radio to listen to probably remember, in the middle of a live broadcast, an announcer breaking in with “We now pause for station identification.”

Coming across Huff’s little story made me stop and think about how, in the world we live in with all the chaos, fighting, hate, corruption, mistrust, and depression, we should make time in our lives to take a break and “pause for God’s identification.”

Every so often, we need to silence our cellphones, shut down our computers, turn off our radios and televisions, walk outside, sit on the patio or someplace away from the noise and chaos of what’s going on, and simply take time to take in the good around us. 

God has given us a wonderful world full of love and beauty. I stepped outside a few nights ago to gaze at the moon, stars, and planets when David’s psalm came to my mind. 

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes, You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
(Psalm 8:1-9 (NASB))

There is so much more good in the world than what is portrayed on television and through social media. We meet more good people in our walk of life than those who disrupt life. Watch those who walk through the doors of your church building, people who love God, greet you, and worship beside you. Look at the youth. They far outweigh the one who may be on the news for something they did that was wrong. 

When you walk through the stores and see people in every walk of life, take time to listen. You’ll hear many more people saying “Thank you” and being polite than those who act in a hateful way. I was loading my car with groceries when a man walked by and saw a case of water in the cart. He saw the gray-haired old man and asked, “Can I help you load that?” In fact, this has happened three times by different people that I can remember. A simple act of kindness that happens to different people in different ways thousands of times a day.

These acts won’t make the news. The beauty of the sky will be ignored as people rush through the night to reach their destination. We’ll walk outside, not hearing the birds or paying little attention to God’s world beginning to bloom as spring approaches. We’ll complain about the pollen, the wind, the mosquitoes, the heat, and having to mow the grass as summer approaches. 

When you feel one of these negative feelings coming on, stop, grab a cool drink, sit down outside, and “Pause for a God Identification.” Look around you and take time to be thankful for all the good that God has put in your life, thank the Lord, and join Pooh in saying, “That it’s a nice day.” 

Danny Minton, a member of Southern Hills Church of Christ, is a hospital chaplain