Those of us with a Type A personality have a tough time pausing long enough to embrace the moment we are living.
But I don’t think it’s only a personality trait. Some of it is cultural. Some of it is calendar overload. Some of it may even be a lack of gratitude for what God is doing right now.
Whatever the reason, we are so often focused on the next calendar item that we fail to appreciate the company of God or those with us at the present moment.
As the Lord has been convicting me lately of the importance of embracing the current moment, I’ve become more aware of several kinds of moments easily missed.
What moments do we ruin when we fail to seize them?
- Moments with God—Do you ever get so hurried in your spirit that you approach even your scheduled devotional time with a sense of rush? Hearing from God through His Word and developing a meaningful prayer life requires that we settle down and be still in His presence.
- Moments with Family—Our homes are too often like filling stations where each member of the family simply stops by long enough to get a quick bite to eat and a place to sleep for a few hours, but has little relational interaction. Take a moment to look your family members in the eye. Listen to them. Sense their needs, wants, desires, hurts. I’ve written before about creating moments for dates with your spouse and family time with your children. But sometimes we’re guilty of not even taking the moments already in front of us to love and invest in our dearest relationships.
- Moments with Co-Laborers—Something the Lord convicted me of this spring is that sometimes I let work become too much just about the project at hand without remembering the people involved in those projects. Whether you work in a ministry or secular environment, the people you work with have families, hopes, needs, goals. Take time to really see the people you work with, and not just the projects they work on. I was so serious about this for our ministry that we hired an outside company (Best Christian Workplaces Institute) to do a survey and assessment. I was thankful that we had an excellent score, but I know we still have areas to work on. I want to cultivate a culture of genuine care among our staff that is evident in daily interactions.
- Moments to Mentor—Instead of snapping at that young person or failing to notice a struggling young Christian, seize a moment to invest in their lives. A simple word of encouragement could go a long way. I wonder how many more teens would attend Bible college just by a pastor or youth pastor taking time to talk to them about the potential of it.
- Moments to Witness—We get so busy that we forget that the people we interact with on a daily basis have an eternal soul. We rush through an encounter with a store clerk or gas station attendant with only our schedule on our minds and forget to so much as hand them a gospel tract. Too often, we are too preoccupied to let the Holy Spirit lead in moments He would have given us to share the gospel.
I don’t write this from a position to lecture, but from a position of one who is learning. Each moment God gives is a gift. Seize it to love Him, love others, and invest in those He places in your life.
