As we drove through the hills of North Carolina we saw a scenic overlook coming up on our right – a place to pull off and enjoy the mountain view for a moment.

Despite having a plan for the day, we could not pass up pulling over to take a peek.

The pictures don’t quite do the view justice. You can’t help but pause quietly as you take it all in. There are no words to accurately describe the beauty of what you are seeing.

As we continued our drive down the mountain road we came upon 3 more scenic overlooks. We stopped at each one of them.

We laughed as we noticed another older couple who pulled up a few minutes behind us at each view. This couple already knew a lesson my wife and I were just learning:

Stop at every overlook.

These overlooks are God’s invitation to pause and enjoy the view for a moment.

You’ll probably be tempted to drive right past it. After all, if you’ve seen one then you’ve seen them all, right? Besides, you’re on a tight schedule. You don’t have time to pause and take it all in.

Instead, I implore you to pull over. Always. Drop your schedule, even if just for a minute, and take second to rest in the presence of God’s incredible creation.

Sometimes there are scenic overlooks carved out in the road of life. You don’t usually map them out, they just kind of sneak up on you.

This weekend, this new year, if an overlook comes your way, pull over.

Take a minute to reflect on the vast expanse of God’s incredible creation. Take a moment to enjoy the view, to soak in the air He gave you to breathe, to see the world as the amazing gift He gave to you.

You may not be able to afford the luxury of a honeymoon this year. But you have vacation days. You have holidays. You have weekends.

Use them. Savor them. Cherish them.

You job isn’t as important as you think it is. Things will survive if you take a few days off. You are not Atlas – the world will not fall apart if you take a day off.

When chances come for you to rest, take them. When chances come for you to experience something pure and untarnished and beautiful, take them.

You have enough time for them. It’s not an accident when one comes your way. You will not regret taking a moment to stop. In fact it may recharge your batteries so that you can work harder and better once you get back on the road.

Instead of driving determinedly to your destination, take the 4 words of advice I learned on my honeymoon: Stop At Every Overlook. 

Have you ever stumbled across a scenic overlook in life – a moment to pause and reflect on the beauty of God? Do you try to stop at every overlook or do you typically drive right past them?