The Moments that Matter
I take a deep breath and exhale. That is my life. A breath.
James 4:14 says that we are "a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."
God is teaching me a lot about this powerful little verse.
We all have one life made up of moments in time, moments, that, once spent, we can never get back.
How do we choose to spend our moments?
After reading a great book by Rachel Macy Stafford, Hands Free Mama, as well every blog she has on her website www.handsfreemama.com, I was inspired to live my moments differently.
With the invention of smart phones, multitasking was taken to a whole new level. We can multi-task like nobody's business! We can pay bills, check Facebook, buy books, read books, take pictures, talk to people, text people, video chat, play games, and a hundred other things, all with our fingertips. We are a culture who gets things done. A LOT of things. But my question is...
Are they the right things? Is what we spend our moments on worth our moments?
Remember: we can never get them back.
God has called me to be a mother to my babies and a wife to my husband. He has called me to love and disciple my children and to submit to and honor my husband. These are jobs I was created for, designed to do with all my heart for the glory of the One who made me. Yet, I constantly find myself distracted from these God-given responsibilities.
I can talk to my husband while emailing a client back. I can play with my kids while checking Facebook. I can talk to my family about their day while doing the dishes and cleaning.
I measure success by how productive I am, by how many things I can check off my to-do list.
And then God reminds me that my life is a breath. My days are numbered and He knows, and I know, the important things in this life aren't things but PEOPLE.
I have heard a lot of advice from experienced parents, but the number one piece of advice has consistently been, "Enjoy your children; they grow up so fast."
I have already experienced the time slip by. My first born is no longer a baby but a big girl. She is becoming the little girl that God has planned her to be, but that doesn't make it any easier to know she doesn't need quite as many hugs as she used to.
The clock has become my enemy. I watch it, wishing it would slow down and cursing it for not going by fast enough.
But what would happen if I stopped watching the clock, threw out my to do list and turned off my phone and computer for a day and truly lived in the moment? I know the dishes need to get done, the emails sent out, the bills paid, but just as we set aside time for those tasks we ought to set aside uninterrupted time for those God has entrusted to us.
We ought to live in the moment without thoughts of what's next, without Facebook open, without one eye on the TV. I understand we have responsibilities, but I guarantee we will never regret the time spent fully invested in our loved ones.
I imagine that while Jesus was with the woman at the well He didn't have a running list going on in His mind about the next miracle He needed to perform or project that needed building. Jesus was all there, in the moment, listening, not just to her words, but to her heart as well.
I want to take my cue from the One who is outside of time, the One who made time and who gives us the moments and beckons us to truly live in them.
When we are talking to our children, do we truly listen? Do we look them in the eyes and listen to their little hearts? Life is a breath, put down the phone and listen!
Do we get on their level and enter their little world to play with them? Life is a breath, put the dishcloth down and join them!
Do we listen to our husbands as they tell us about their day? Life is a breath, close the computer and invest in your marriage!
These are moments that matter!
If we look at the Bible story in Luke where sisters Mary and Martha welcomed Jesus into their home, we see Mary commended by Jesus for sitting at his feet and listening to Him, whereas Martha was admonished for being so concerned and upset with serving. Serving is a good thing, but sitting with Jesus is best. Mary was aware of what was most important.
Oh the blessings we miss out on because we are too distracted by our agendas to notice the truly important things.
"Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her,” Luke 10:41-42.
Sometimes we need the gentle correction of our Savior calling us back to Himself, calling us back to what is important.
I watch my children as they play at the park on this gorgeous afternoon. The sun is shining, wind is blowing, and my children are laughing as they race down the slide together. I take a deep breath, put my phone away, and run after my kids. This is one important moment I won't waste.
Jessica Williams is the co-founder of Gospel Family Ministries and co-partner of Raspberry Rain Images, allowing her to use her gifts and passions to creatively point families to the beauty of God's glory. Homeschooling her children, Jessica is blessed to spend her days teaching the Gospel inside and outside her home.
