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(last in the series of “Living in the Moment”)
How much value do you place on your time? I realize it is impossible to measure the value of single moment in time. Yet, learning to recognize how precious it is – is an important part of the maturing process.
A YEAR…
Until recently, every year when January 1st arrived, our family would gather around, with last year’s calendar in hand and reflect on the past year’s events. We talked about all God had brought us through (surgeries, and tests, job changes, deaths of loved ones, financial hardships) and the many blessings He had poured out on us (healing, new jobs, new friends, new ministries).
We took time to learn from the past. Then we set that calendar aside and brought out the new one and with excitement hung it on the wall. The new calendar represented the hope for the future.
A DAY…
Each little block on the calendar represents a new day, a new day full of choices. A calendar can be helpful with all its little blocks. But in reality we don’t live our lives in blocks so well defined. Life is more fluid than that. Living in the moment is not about dividing your life into even smaller blocks. It is about discovering the truth that each moment is important because it not only ties into your own past and future, but into the moments of other lives around you.
A MOMENT!
How valuable is a moment in time? Ask anyone who can look back and say “there, that moment is when my life changed forever.” Are you familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan? A man was beaten and left on the side of the road. Two different men walked past him without helping. We are not told why they made that choice, but one thing we DO know, they missed a significant moment in time. A moment of opportunity to reach out to someone in need.
And there is the challenge. If time is so precious, what are we to do with our time? Colossians 3:12 says “Therefore, As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. ..” That is quite a to-do list! Think about it, in just a moment of time you can impact a life for good or bad: a kind word vs. a harsh word; an act of compassion vs. an act of aggression; an offer of forgiveness vs. a plan for revenge.
So let’s shake off the preoccupations with the past and the future. Let’s experience the treasure of this moment and all the wonder it holds. Laugh at the silly things you do. Cry when your heart hurts. Sing when His joy bubbles over in you. Praise Him often. Look for ways to show kindness. Touch the lives of others. Take time to listen, really listen, to someone this week. Tell someone about Jesus and what He means to you.
We will experience more joy and we will have an eternal impact on others when we learn to live in the moment. This moment. This is our here and now, let us seek His purpose in it.