Are you looking?

Even if you are not a country music fan, you have probably heard Trace Adkin’s 2008 hit, “You’re Gonna Miss This.” The song became the artist’s third number one hit on the U.S. Billboard of Hot Country Songs, but also peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even made it to No. 19 on the Pop 100 chart.

Written by Ashley Gorley and Lee Miller, the song shares three snippets from the life of a young woman. First as a teenager who cannot wait to be an adult; she misses the joy of being a student. Then, as a new bride eager to have a baby and buy her first house; she misses the wonder of being a newlywed. Finally, as an overwhelmed young mother she fails to appreciate the joy of her little ones.

After each scenario, someone a bit older shares the wisdom which she desperately needs, telling her, “You’re gonna miss this, You’re gonna want this back, You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. These are some good times, So take a good look around, You may not know it now, But you’re gonna miss this.”

It is easy to assume only the young make this mistake; unfortunately, that is not true. Tragically, people of all ages have been ignoring the things which really matter and focusing on the insignificant throughout history.

We all make this mistake. I find it easy to focus on the latest episode of a TV show I enjoy and forget about a struggling friend, a child who needs a supportive adult or being available for meaningful conversation with my wife. I do not even see the need because I am not looking for it. Psychologists sometimes refer to this as “inattention blindness.”

A famous YouTube video asks viewers to count the number of times six players pass a basketball. However, in the video a man in a gorilla suit moonwalks through the scene. A sizable portion of viewers never see the gorilla because they are so focused on counting passes. Here is a link in case you want to watch the video yourself: The Monkey Business Illusion.

Does our inattention blindness have spiritual implications? Yes! Jesus once described how people miss God by saying, “…The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him…” (John 14:17, NLT, my emphasis) We miss what God is doing because we are not looking for him.

Jesus’ point is that we not only miss what God is doing, but also fail to see God. Prolific author and speaker, Reggie McNeil, once made this perceptive observation, “It’s amazing what you don’t see when you’re not looking.”

Simply put, if you are not looking for God, you are unlikely to see him; however, if you are alert to the fact that God is at work around you, it is likely you will see him everywhere you go.