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Connoisseur of the Moment

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Sometimes I long to just sit and think. I really like being still and quiet (although I'm sure that's hard for some of you to believe.) I ache for time to let God near and simply hang out with Him. Many of my most special "God-moments" have been in the silence of contemplation.

In the same way, I long to just BE with my family with no agenda, no event to attend, no activity to engage in, and no where to go. I miss these moments so often because I'm thinking about what needs to happen in the next moment. I long to be a connoisseur of the moment.

Just a few years ago, I wasn't satisfied unless I filled every second of my waking hours with some form of movement. Now, I crave stillness. I'd love to be able to capture the moments and stretch them into something serene like in the Matrix movies. What changed in me? And why do I feel so incredibly worn out if I don't get my "serene stretch" often?

Age could be part of it, I'm sure. I also think a good night's sleep works into the equation. But, what I'm trying to find goes much deeper than these things. I can almost just catch it if I stay still long enough. When I am still, as I've been this morning, a fuzzy outline of the Truth comes into view.

If I could take a guess at what it is I'd say it looks very much like the rhythm of God. The rhythm of God and heartbeat of America look very different. God created the world to be in perfect harmony and rhythm with just enough hours in the day to do what He asks of us; nothing more and nothing less.

It is when I focus on being part of the rhythm of God that I become most alive. It is when I’m in the sweet spot of His heartbeat my productiveness shoots through the roof, because I focus my energy on what’s most meaningful.

When I’m there, I can hear even His slightest whisper, “call her, she needs to talk”, “serve that man, he is asking for help”, “hug your daughter and tell her you love her”, “affirm your husband, he’s feeling low today”.

Lord, help me be a connoisseur of the moment you have given me. I want to be nothing more and nothing less that this…

He Is - Part Three

Final piece of He Is...
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He is OVER all things, IN all things, and THROUGH all things. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – ONE, EQUAL, yet distinctly different. ALL with the same purpose. ALL with the same goal. ALL fully submitting to one another as they pursue us in perfect unity.

He is a mystery. He is child-like in His simplicity, yet indescribably complex. The only term which can adequately describe who He is, is “The I AM”. Too big to contain. Too wide to span. Too high to ascend. Too deep to understand.

He has left His mark in every cell, every DNA molecule, and every ray of light. He is in every drop of blood, every tear, and even in the “dark space” we cannot see, feel, taste, or measure.

This is who we seek. He is who we need to ask. We should be knocking on His door. For He is the One who finds, answers, and welcomes our hearts in the way we were designed to receive.

Yet, we ignore His advances. We turn a deaf ear to His call. We turn our back on His attempts to draw us close. We treat Him as if He was the cause of all our pain, suffering, betrayal, and sin.

We compartmentalize Him and stuff Him into a drawer until Sunday morning. Or we shift our schedule and take Him out on Saturday night so we can have Sundays all to ourselves. We read about Him, hear His Word, learn His story yet we remain unmoved. We cling to our lives, our comfort, and our security as if it was our own power and strength which brought it to life.

We miss Him even though He is present in everything. We believe in ourselves even though we know how imperfect we are. We focus so intently on ourselves, our circumstances, our desires, and our pain that we can’t see Jesus right smack in the middle of all of it.

Seek Him - don't miss Jesus one more moment. Ask Him - and listen for His response until you hear. Love Him - even if you aren't sure how. Trust Him - even when you are afraid.

He is there. He is speaking. He is loving. He is trustworthy. He is.