It was a great morning to go for a run. It was a little before 7:00. The leaves on the trees were dripping wet from late rains yesterday. The sky was clear and the air was cool. It was one of those mornings when it was just great to be outside.

I love this kind of morning for a run. It’s the time of solitude that I enjoy – time to be alone, to think, I think about my day, solve problems, plan sermons, pray and simply enjoy my own little world. Sometimes I reflect on the past – parents who are gone – childhood memories - first cars, first dates, first jobs. It is amazing how much one can think about in a 30 minute run.

In mile three of my four-mile journey, I ran under the branch of a tree. A large blackbird took off; the branch shook and I got wet – very cool drops of rain that had been stored on the leaves of the tree waiting for a blackbird to take off just as I was under the branch.

I would never have mentioned the blackbird or the tree had it not been for the rain. On a dry day, I might have run under that same tree, frightened the same bird and the branch would have jiggled just the same but I would have been unaffected. The stored rain-drops interrupted whatever I was thinking about at the time.

I wonder how many things happen all around us everyday that we don’t notice because we are so self-absorbed. Are their hurting people around us that we don’t even see because we are so busy thinking about our own needs. For example, are we in such a hurry to get through a line at the grocery store that we are unaware that the person scanning our groceries seems incredibly sad and needs a word of encouragement.

When I look at Jesus, He seems so “other focused.” Although He had a mission, He was not self-absorbed. Jesus challenged those who would follow Him to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow. Was this another way of telling them to not be so self-absorbed – to think less about their personal needs and more about the needs of those around them.

I am thankful for a blackbird, wet leaves and cool droplets that have reminded me to look around – to notice what is happening around me – to look for those places where I can even encourage the unnoticed people.