Fresh Eyes in a New Season: Seeing God in the Everyday
Seeing What Was Always There
One of the most surprising things my husband and I have noticed about moving to a new place is how much more awake our senses feel. In South Carolina, it seems like we’re noticing everything.
For example, there are abandoned cars on the side of the highways everywhere we drive. Truly—everywhere. Our commute to school is less than ten minutes, and every day without fail, there’s another car sitting empty on the shoulder. No driver. No movement. Just stillness.
At first, it felt so odd to us, almost unsettling. But then, something interesting happened. Last weekend we went back to New Jersey for a short trip, and you know what we noticed? Abandoned cars scattered along those highways too. The very same sight. Only this time, our eyes were open to it. Before, I must have driven past hundreds of them and never paid attention.
Isn’t that how life with God is sometimes? His truth has always been there—right in front of us—but until the Spirit opens our eyes, we don’t notice. Jesus often said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15) The message was the same for everyone, but not everyone had the awareness to receive it. Moving opened our physical senses, but the Lord often uses new seasons in our lives to sharpen our spiritual senses too. Suddenly, we see what’s been there all along.
The Hum Beneath the Crickets
Another example: when we moved into our home here in South Carolina, we bought it sight unseen—an act of faith and trust in both God’s provision and in our faithful realtor. What we couldn’t have known until we actually arrived was that from our backyard, you can hear the steady hum of the highway. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s always there.
I thought at first it would bother me—and sometimes it still does—but I keep telling myself, “We’ll get used to it.” Then, on our trip back to New Jersey, I noticed the very same thing in both my in-laws’ and sister-in-law’s homes. Even in their backyards, and sometimes from inside their houses, you could hear the faint hum of passing cars. It was always there, I had just never paid attention.
And again, the Lord used that small moment to nudge my heart. Isn’t life like that? Alongside the beauty—the chirping crickets, the peaceful breezes—there’s always a background hum of distraction. The world’s noise. Our own anxious thoughts. Lies whispered. We often grow so used to it that we stop noticing it altogether.
But Scripture calls us to be alert: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Just like I’ve had to train my ear to recognize that highway hum, we need to train our spiritual ears to notice the constant noise of the world that tries to drown out God’s voice.
The Gift of Fresh Eyes
These two little lessons have reminded me that new seasons often heighten our awareness. Moving made me notice what was always present but overlooked. In the same way, walking through unfamiliar seasons with God can awaken us to truths we’d never have seen otherwise.
Maybe what feels strange or distracting in your season is actually an invitation from God to open your eyes. To notice. To discern. To become more aware of His presence, His Word, and the subtle hum of distractions that we’re called to quiet.
So whether it’s abandoned cars on a highway or the low drone of traffic in the distance, I’m learning to see and hear these moments as spiritual reminders:
To notice what’s been there all along.
To sharpen my senses to God’s presence.
To tune out the world’s hum and lean into His voice.
Because sometimes, the unfamiliar is exactly what God uses to open our eyes.
