Stop. Look. Linger!

I was alerted to my dog growling in a low gruff at the window. With a ball in her mouth and her tail nub wagging, she was zeroed in on something out front of the house. I went to see what the excitement was and I saw a man with a little girl at the end of our driveway. I hadn’t seen them in our neighborhood before.

They began to move past the drive when the little girl turned around to come back towards our driveway. 

The man turned around as well to observe where she was going and waited patiently for her.

She couldn’t have been more than three years old and looked so cute in her little olive green rain boots.

Hands in his pocket, the man, who I’m thinking was her father, waited to see what she was doing. He was watching her every step.

The little girl proceeded to step in a small puddle of water. Knowing exactly why she came to the water, she bent forward, bringing herself face-to-face with the puddle. She swirled her finger around in the water briefly, touching something and stayed looking intently at her reflection.

I could see that the man said something to her, then she began to turn and walk towards him, but then she turned back and returned to the puddle once again. It was like she just didn’t want to leave this spot of playing in the water, seeing her reflection, and discovering what was in it.

I paused for a moment wishing I had captured an image of what I saw the little girl doing but would never take the picture out of respect for privacy. But I did capture it immediately in my heart.

As I looked up I saw that they had proceeded to move around the cul-de-sac. Reaching the other side, the man was now carrying the little girl securely in his arms. I smiled and knew I had to come write about what I had just witnessed.

There are not always good characters that come into the cul-de-sac, but this was a welcomed sight. 

She may not understand it now, but the little girls actions have profound meaning.

I immediately thought of “looking at the Lord.” The closer we get the clearer we see and we discover incredible things that we may have missed if we would’ve just kept going and passed by.

It takes intention.

It takes slowing down and lingering in His presence.

I am reminded of how Jesus removed the veil for us to be able to enter into this intimate relationship.

We are able to get close and when we look with our gaze fixed on him, the reflection we see back should look like him. 

And as we walk and become like Him, we can be confident that along our journey we will be carried securely by our patient and heavenly Father.

The little girl reminded me of myself. Those times when I would just have to return to His presence saying, “Just a little longer. Just one more look”.

Maybe you needed this reminder today to turn back and slow down, fixing your gaze upon him, seeking to find yourself in Him. I promise you will be transformed into his likeness again and again —reflecting His face and glory.

Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [17] Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

—2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NKJV

Dionne White

5/9/2026

*The image in this post was created with ChatGPT. The little girl and the clothes in the photo are not an exact or true depiction.*



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