Quite a bit behind in blog postings... Eternity Now I was standing on the patio the other day, hurrying to do one more thing before I headed out to do one more thing somewhere else. In the rush, I forgot what I went out for. I stopped to ask myself, “Now what was I going to do?” In that momentary pause a butterfly landed on my arm and for a few brief seconds it sat and gently fluttered its wings. That was an ahhha moment, a wake up call, when I realized that charging around, running here and there and doing lots of good things keeps me from some of the best things because they’re found in the quiet, still moments, when I have time, or rather take time to notice. We have a friend in prison that was moved to the outside unit recently, he commented about the gift of seeing the sunrise. He hadn’t seen the sunrise for seven years! That was a reminder to me of how easy it is to take for granted the beauty and magnificence of simple things. Too often, I miss God’s demonstrated glory in this moment. I had to admit how much of life I live in the past and in the future. Sometimes it takes a comment from someone else to bring me back to now. Another friend challenged me to be where I am, not where I’m not. Think about that for a moment… I had to consider do I really live fully in this moment? There’s a lot of emphasis these days on our past, things we’ve come out of, things that have happened to us. All of those things do effect who we are. My own past experiences both good and bad have been instrumental in shaping me. But where is the point when I let go of them and live fully now? The other emphasis is on vision. Where we’re going, what we’ll be doing someday. If I’m honest, I’ll admit that too often I jump from what was to what will be. That habit keeps me from seeing the beauty of today, from experiencing the joy of today, from even letting the sorrow of today impact me. I tend to be a dreamer, a visionary, one who sees things out ahead and yet if that becomes my focus, I miss life here and now. God is in the NOW and that’s actually the only place I can experience Him. Even if I consider a place where I was disappointed or hurt in the past, His healing and restoration is for the “me” that is now. And if I’m dreaming of something out there, something that is yet to be, His provision and movement to get me to that place is for today, for the “me” that is now. I love the suddenlies of God- the times He breaks in and breaks through and gets my attention and I stop and experience life in the moment: the sunrise and its colors from orange to gold to pink, the fragrance of the flowers from sweet roses to minty petunias, the warm breeze on my face that transports me to an early morning walk on the beach. I am grateful for the times that I stop and notice things that stir memories and emotions: a child’s laughter while swinging to touch the sky, an elderly couple who have been together longer than they’ve been alone walking hand in hand. I value the times that bring tears and a loss for words: the disappointment of a teen whose heart was broken through someone’s thoughtlessness, the pain of a friend who lost a grandchild. These are now moments that take time and attention. These are like the butterfly, here and then gone, and if I’m not aware, I can totally miss them and miss the beauty and the wonder of an experience that will change me. I’m not sure if I’m slow to get this or if it’s one of those things that require a constant reminder but the invitation to pause and look, to see and listen, to really hear, continues to echo in my mind and my heart. I’ve learned that when I choose to look and listen, I am richer for it.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 02:12:53 +0000
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