When Life Speeds Up, Do You Still Notice God?

The past year has been incredibly busy for me. I work in property management, and just this week I was offered a promotion into a management role that I had been praying and working toward for quite a while. I'm excited about what's ahead, but I also know it will come with more responsibility and plenty of moments where I'm thinking about work long after the workday is over.

My mind naturally wants to think ahead. If I stay in this role for this many years, earn the next promotion, contribute this much to retirement, and save this much money, then maybe I can buy a house and retire at a certain age.

Outside of work, life isn't exactly slow either. My weeks are filled with serving at church, golf, rock climbing, and spending time with friends. Those are all good things, and I'm thankful for them. But after enough weeks of constantly moving from one thing to the next, I sometimes catch myself wondering why I don't feel as close to God as I once did.

Slowing Down Enough to Notice

A while back I watched a short video on Instagram where someone said, "Sometimes I forget people actually think about me and that I'm a real person who people know." Thousands of people related to the idea in the comments. It made me stop and think. We spend so much time thinking about ourselves that we sometimes forget we're part of other people's stories too.

But then another question came to mind. If we can forget that other people think about us, how much easier is it to forget about God in the middle of our busy lives?

How often do I think about Him throughout the day? How often do I stop to thank Him for what He's done? Do I remember His faithfulness during difficult seasons? Or do I become so distracted by my own schedule that I hardly notice Him at all?

Psalm 8 shifts our perspective in a beautiful way. David writes,

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? (Psalm 8:3–4)

Standing beneath the night sky, David is overwhelmed by God's greatness. The Creator who spoke galaxies into existence still knows every person by name and cares deeply for them. Instead of making himself the center of the story, David stands in awe that the God who created everything chooses to know and love us. Psalm 8 reminds us that although we are small, we are deeply known by a God who is infinitely greater than we can imagine (Psalm 8:3–9; Isaiah 40:26).

The busier life becomes, the more intentionally we must slow down and notice the God who has never stopped noticing us.

Making Space for God

I've realized that noticing God usually doesn't happen by accident. It requires making room for Him.

Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed or disconnected, I'll drive about thirty minutes to a park with a trail that I enjoy. It's far enough from the city that everything becomes quiet. I'll walk and talk with God about what's been on my mind.

The scenery itself isn't what changes me. It removes enough distractions for me to remember that God exists, and He has been waiting for me to talk with Him. I always ask myself afterward why I don’t make more time to be with Him.

For you, that place may look completely different. Maybe it's sitting quietly with your Bible before everyone else wakes up. Maybe it's taking a walk without your phone, journaling, or spending time in worship. The point isn't where you meet with God. The point is that you intentionally create space to notice Him.

Life isn't going to slow down on its own. There will always be another goal to accomplish, another responsibility to carry, or another event to attend. Those things aren't necessarily bad, but they can become so loud that we stop hearing the voice of the One who matters most.

This week, ask yourself this question: When life speeds up, do I still notice God?

The God who created the stars has never lost sight of you. Slow down long enough to notice Him. You might be surprised by how much He's been doing in your life that you've been too busy to notice.