Last night I had the awesome privilege of speaking to our middle and high school students at church. The message was on taking time to PAUSE and BREATHE. God was all over the evening and many of us, students and adults alike, felt His presence and peace with us. What a Blessing!
Once I was home and snuggled in my bed I began to think back over some of the highlights of my day. The joy expressed by the kids as they watched the first snow of the season fall. The spark of learning ignited in a 2nd grader at school. The peace and quiet of my Mother's house when I visited her in the afternoon. The honest and courageous friendships shared by so many at student ministries. Being on the receiving end of multiple acts of kindness throughout the day. The tasty stuffed green olives and delicious fudge on the staff treat table at work.
As I sat there thinking I realized that in the moment I had breezed passed each of these events and did not acknowledge their significance or importance in my life. I had appreciated them and enjoyed them but I was not present in each of the moments to the degree that I allowed them to change my life.
Even as I was in the midst of praying throughout my day about my message for the students, I was still missing the point. I was too busy thinking forward and looking backward to be aware of my need to Look Around Me. How often do we live past events over and over in our mind? How often do we prepare and plan for what is going to happen next? We spend so much of our time in the past and in the future that we totally forget to LIVE IN THE MOMENT.
This is a hard concept any time of year, but it seems especially hard during the busy holiday season. This time of year is supposed to be about showing love to those you care about and remembering the sacrificial love of our One True God, who sent His Only Son so that we may have Life in Him. And here we are rushing through our day; busy at work, quick stop at the mall, dinner on the fly, drop one kid off at the library and pick another one up from practice, make an appearance at that holiday party, rush through your greeting cards so you can get them in the mail, and finally drop into bed, exhausted, thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow.
But what if we pushed the PAUSE button and soaked in the beauty and the majesty of each of those moments? What if we slowed down and noticed the stressed co-worker next to us and were able to talk and pray with them about the struggle they are facing right now. What if we were the pleasant customer and made the sales clerk smile as we made our purchases. What if we sat as a family around the dinner table and shared our highs and lows from the day. What if we took those ten minutes in the car, as we shuttle them from place to place, to talk to our children, really find out how they are doing and what they are dealing with (before they get so overwhelmed that they think about taking it out on their classmates and teachers). What if we said "no" to a few of the party invitations we receive and select only a few to attend so that we can enjoy the true blessing of spending time with friends and family. What if we took the time to put a personal, handwritten message of gratitude and love in each of our holiday cards, letting the recipient know how much they mean to us. What if we fell into bed and praised God for having a roof over us and a soft place to lay our head.
So..... What moments have you been missing? How is life passing you by? How can you slow down and be fully present in each moment? What do you need to give up in order to be able to focus? Who do you need to tell that you appreciate and love them? When are you going to make time and space for God today?
My prayer for today is that we all stop looking ahead or behind us but instead spend time looking around us. I pray that when we pause we are able to see what Christ sees, a world that is broken and in need of love. I pray that we can find the joy and the serenity in each small moment we are a part of. I pray that through our obedience and faithfulness God is able to reveal new and wonderful things about Himself to us. I pray that each new experience will bring us closer to being the person Christ calls us to be.
Until We Meet Again,
Drea
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