Discovering Your Bird Bench
The invitation to slow down and look around you
I’m grateful to be back with you all after some time away. Thank you again, Kathy Young, Amy Hoppock, Moriah Lemoine, Amber Taube, and Bekah Pogue for sharing your hearts with us all in July!
When I saw the bench online I about fell over when my eyes happened upon the price tag. I rarely will spend a lot of money on something new at this time in my life. That is just a philosophy I have in a season of life where Goldfish get smooshed into floorboards and there is at least three milk spills every dinner—I do not live in a season of, “Let’s buy a beautiful, new bench with a cream-colored cushion.”
But, I needed something to sit on and watch the birds.
So, I kept my eye on the bench. It didn’t go on sale. It wasn’t getting any cheaper. I saved pennies, and sold a few items I owned. I knew the bench would be perfect to gaze out our farmhouse windows at the birds that come to feast at the feeders just a few feet away.
Eventually I found an open-box deal for this exact bench and bought it. I’ve never once regretted it since. It now has dirt hand prints and crumbs that often cover it.
But really, it’s not about the bench—it’s about the gathering place it has been for my family.
We needed a common place of quiet for our hearts.
We needed a place to sit and be still.
We needed a place to pause and gaze at the world.
Where in your life do you need a bird bench?
Our everyday Western world is full of schedules, busy, and endless noise. I’m not just talking about the kids screaming and teens rebelling—because don’t get me wrong, if you enter my house you will quickly become aware of how auditory overstimulated you get. I’m talking about the noise that we let into our lives and let flood our souls every, single, day.
There are the full schedules that tell us we’re never doing enough.
The expectations of others which scream lies into our ears.
The world of others we scroll through that tells us we’re missing the elusive “something”.
The advertisements which remind us we don’t own enough.
The news that’s reminding us how hate will overcome us.
It goes on and on and on.
Where does the noise stop in our lives?
Unless we intentionally make space for the noise to silence—it will often overtake our lives.
It’s a countercultural way of living in this world to move towards a quieter life. It’s not flashy, influencer materiel, or the most attractive thing to walk in the room. A life, where we’re not looking to always be at the top, have the most, or produce the best—is not often what we see when we doom scroll or read the daily news.
A slower life, does not necessarily mean that our outward circumstances change. It’s an inward shift—a posture of noticing God’s fingerprints in the everyday moments of life.
A quieter life is full of what brings us life.
It’s full of what brings us joy.
It’s full of the people we love.
It’s full of what draws us closer to the heart of Jesus.
A quieter life makes space for—
grief when it is raw,
pain when it needs to be heard,
joy when it brings healing,
forgiveness that holds hope.
What is something in your life that invites you to slow down and see God around you?
Yes, I have a bench that I get to sit on throughout the day and look out my windows at creation unfolding around me. However, what I thought was going to be an ordinary bench has invited me to more of God’s goodness around me.
What I discovered was, from the perch on my bird bench, I found what will always be one of my most favorite views of the sunrise in the world. What a gift to receive. What an invitation to notice.
Where is God inviting you to sit down (whether on the outside or inside) and gaze at the world around you, noticing His movements in your life?
May we remember that there is always more of God to discover.
May we live slow enough today to notice the goodness of God already in our lives.
May we remember that a hurried, busy life, is not the only way to live.
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This is a beautiful reminder. Thank you, Brianna!
Amen and amen. Thank you for sharing your bench and inviting us to create space to receive goodness in the here and now.