Greatness

With grandeur there it stood.  And it took my breath away.  His eyes fixed on me long before I even noticed him.  In the farmer's lush green field, an eagle regally stood less than 50 feet away from me; his size that of a toddler child.  I slow my run to a shuffle just so I can look at him longer. 

He watches me and I, him.  His greatness delivering me into a mesmerized awe.  And I had almost missed him.  Consumed in my own thoughts that morning while talking to God, my attention was not on my surroundings.  I focused on the long country road that lay ahead of me and not on the scenery I was running by.  Not until he'd turned his white-crowned head had I noticed him.  To think had I disregarded what caught my eye, I would have missed out on such greatness.

This makes me wonder.  How many times in my life have I been too focused on what is directly in front of me that I miss out on the greatness around me?  The elderly woman I pass in the grocery store who faithfully, and without complaint, tends to her ailing husband.  The middle school girl standing in the hallway who's unrealized gift will blossom into greatness if only through an encouraging word.  The tired parent who sacrifices much to ensure the child learns responsibility, kindness and empathy. 

Greatness like this surrounds me each day, I just don't often see it and fail to recognize it.  This does not lessen the fact the greatness is there; more often than not, it is my perspective that must change.  If a smile, a "hello" or telling someone to have a great day will encourage them enough to do so, then in some small way it is contributing to that person being great.  And encouragement is desperately needed in this world.

I mull these things over in my mind as I finish my run.  No longer am I looking at just the road in front of me, but I intentionaly look at the scenery around me.  A new pair of eyes looking less inward, and more outward.   If I am intentional to encourage those around me to show their greatness, at times I will be blessed by seeing incredible greatness close at hand that it will leave me in inspired awe.  Like the day an eagle stood close by, in a field and looked upon me.