Listen for His Whisper

By Paula Williamson guest writer

New Eyes

There was a season in my life when disillusionment settled over me like a heavy fog. Family struggles, friendships shifting, tension in my church, challenges at work—it all piled up until I wanted nothing more than to hide from the world. So, I did.

I left my ten-year career as a Mary Kay beauty consultant and started cleaning houses. Day after day, I went from room to room searching for dirt, dust, and cobwebs—never realizing how symbolic it all was. It was during those quiet hours that I discovered a powerful but painful truth:what you focus on, you will find everywhere.

A Heart Full of Dust

My life had been marked by so much disappointment and humbling that journaling became my only outlet. But in that season, my journal wasn’t filled with hope or prayers—it was filled with complaints.

One day, overwhelmed by frustration, I sat down and wrote out everything that had hurt, disappointed, or disillusioned me. Four full pages of it. I poured out every irritation, every wound, every ugly feeling that had taken up residence inside of me. When I finished, I expected relief. Instead, I still felt just as heavy.

I folded up those pages and placed them in my God Box, hoping peace would come later. But it didn’t. I walked away with the same nagging oppression in my chest. Then came the gentle whisper:“Go back. Write down everything you’re thankful for instead.”

The Shift

So, I turned around.I sat back down. And I began listing blessings. One by one. Line by line. Gift after gift. Six pages later, the tears began to flow. I saw how ungrateful I had become. How negative. How critical. How judgmental. God wasn’t shaming me—He was softening me. My heart began to see with new eyes what I had completely taken for granted.

When Did I Lose My Wonder?

Why is it we can be endlessly patient with other people’s children—yet lose patience with our own? Why can we admire someone else’s home, job, or family—yet be so critical about our own? Why is it so easy to focus on what we don’t have, don’t like, or don’t want…and miss the blessings sitting right in front of us?

Cleaning houses taught me more than how to scrub a floor. I realized I had been spending my days looking for dirt—so it naturally sifted into every part of my life. I majored in what was wrong. In doing so, I surrendered the gift of gratitude—the very thing that keeps our hearts soft, alive, and able to see good. Focusing on the negative didn’t just drain me emotionally…it drained me spiritually. It stole my joy, my energy, my hope, and even the sparkle from my eyes. How had I allowed that to happen?

Still Blessed

I am alive. The sun is shining. Birds are singing. There is beauty all around me. I can walk. I can talk. I can think. I can choose. I have a home, a car, a job, a family, friends, health, freedom, and breath in my lungs.

How had I lost sight of all this? I had been staring at what I lost instead of what I still had, focusing on what was broken instead of what was beautiful? Noticing people’s faults instead of their strengths?

Before You Throw a Stone…

When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, He simply said:

“Let him who has no sin cast the first stone.” One by one, every accuser walked away with their heads lowered.

I came into this world with nothing.I will leave the same way. I have heard that, “Every day in between is a gift.That’s why it’s called The Present.” I can spend my day angry, bitter, ungrateful, and blind…or I can live as a child of wonder and awe—a grateful daughter of the King.

Time is far too precious to waste on brooding, regretting, or clinging to offenses. It moves faster than sand slipping through an hourglass—and unlike an hourglass, life can’t be turned over for another chance. I don’t want to waste a single moment. What about you?

The Corners No One Sees

I once read that Michelangelo spent meticulous hours painting the corners of the Sistine Chapel on the tops of the upper columns no one would ever see. When asked why, he simply said:“God will see.” That’s how I want to live—paying attention to the hidden places, the corners of my heart and to others that no one else may notice.

Closing Prayer:

Father,

Give me eyes that see the good in things when good is not obvious. When I see the storms of life like Peter noticing the waves surrounding him, shift my gaze toward the all-knowing, ever present invincible God who sees and cares and is always at work. Help me grab his hand with my faith and give thanks in all things.

Devotional Takeaway:

Gratitude changes your perspective and your heart.

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This blog was taken from my book, Listen for His Whisper, a free download.