Appreciating the Moment

My Dad was known for what seemed like wild exaggerations. Not really tall tales but things like, “This is the best day of my life.” “That’s the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen.” I still admire him for his ability to have lived in the moment and appreciate the world around him. He didn’t just live in the moment, he was blown away by the moment. When he spoke words like that, he always meant it. 

All we have is this moment. The past is gone and the next minute is not guaranteed. We spend so much time worrying about the next thing and fretting about what has happened (or might happen) that we miss the beauty of what God intended; what is in front of us, right now. 

God’s perfect plan for us isn’t filled with worry or being pre-occupied. He have us plenty of direction, Phil 4:6, Is 35:4, Is 40:31, Is 41:10, Lk 12:22, Mt 6:26, Ps 34:17 and many more. Anxiety and distraction keep us from appreciating the moments that make up our lives. How ironic is it that we’re so often worrying about the next moment that it keeps us from appreciating the moment we are in? It’s like the dog with a bone in its mouth, who, seeing his own reflection in the water, drops the bone he has trying to get the one in his reflection. 

Our very lives are made up of a collection of individual moments. What are we doing with them? Every second, or couple of seconds has value. There are 86,460 seconds in a day. Out of all of those, was there a moment today, or yesterday, that filled you with wonder, joy, gratitude? What are the meaningful moments in the last week that quickly come to mind? We are surrounded by wonder and beauty. Can you recall any of these moments?

Clearly we can’t go through the day like lunatics, blown away by every single moment that comes down the pike. Having said that, what if we made it a habit to try to recognize, engage and appreciate what’s happening around us? Maybe it’s a person or a sunset or even a moment with our pet.

Recognize. Here’s an idea, let’s regularly ask God to help us recognize life’s moments. To give us “…eyes to see and ears to hear…” opportunities to engage, love and appreciate what’s right in front of us. Maybe put a sticky note on your mirror or desk. Set an alarm on your phone 3 times a day that reminds you to be on the lookout. Develop a habit.

Engage. Maybe if we’re watching TV and our child is playing on the floor we can get down and engage. If your teenager is on her phone, rather than letting her be, ask a few questions about her day, what does she have coming up that she is excited about? If you can’t engage her successfully, text her a Dad joke, even if she’s in the same room. Engage your spouse in a way she’s not used to, “I like you in those leggings.” “I thought you did a great job with that thing today.” “Meet me in the kitchen in 5 minutes. I want to show you something.”

Something I’m guilty of is not giving someone who has walked into my office my full attention. I could do a better job of inquiring about them personally. This opportunity (person) has literally presented itself to me, they have come to me. It could be any encounter though, instead of a passing, “How you doing?”, maybe stopping and engaging for 1 minute.

Appreciate. Taking a moment to look at, and really see, the fall leaves, a sunset, your spouse, art…whatever. Make a point to focus on details and remember them. Maybe take a picture. Share the moment with someone else, “The sunset is beautiful! You should check it out.” “You should see the orange in the sky right now.” “Mike, at work, showed me a picture of his new grandson. Check out this picture.” 

Then, take a second now and then to thank God for these moments. If we can start to develop a habit of recognizing, engaging and appreciating life’s moments it will add to the quality of our lives. Anything I can do to add to the quality and richness of my life is worth a moment. Are you with me?