Blessed Interruptions

This morning I was going over the chapter called “ The Sacred Present” in my study of “Simplicity”.  I had my cup of coffee nearby and my workbook in hand. I was just reflecting on the subject of the “Brevity of Life” according to the verse –

 Psalm 39:4-5,

⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”

I was reminded how short my time here really is in the grand scheme of life.  That time is fleeting and passes by oh, so quickly.  I was given this question; How do I best spend this precious time?  Is it with the rigidity of sticking to an inflexible schedule, getting everything on my agenda done, not wanting any “distraction”?  I had sat down to do some quiet study; I had a purpose and a plan.

As I was reflecting on this verse and what it means to me, my husband came up and said “Come with me, I want to show you something.” Many times I get a little annoyed when I am interrupted when I am in the middle of something. I put my study down, got up and followed him upstairs. He took me out onto the balcony. The view was amazing; the sky was crystal clear, a warm breeze was blowing. As we stood there together enjoying the view, we heard the “Star Spangled Banner” being sung from the park nearby. As the song ended we heard the baseball crowd cheer and applaud. Just think, if I had stuck to my plan and not embraced the moment, I would have missed out on a beautiful opportunity to enjoy a precious moment with my husband. I was truly blessed by being present in the moment. So often we miss out on the present, because we ourselves are not fully present. Our minds are somewhere else. How many times do we see or engage in the action of texting or checking our phones or doing something else, while we should be enjoying the company of those in our actual presence? We cannot build relationships or create fulfilling memories when we are only half engaged. We must consciously decide to notice, appreciate and savor every moment. Each moment is a gift we must take the time to open and marvel at.

Psalm 90:12,

“Teach us how short life is, so that we may become wise.”

Growing up

Be Glad

Last week a friend of mine gave a talk on the overflowing peace that comes as we walk with the Lord. Her theme verse was, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”, Psalm 118:24. It has stuck with me all week. Life has been quite busy for me the last two weeks. It has been filled with many ups and a couple of downs, but through it all I claimed the verse above and cherished every moment.  Each day and activity has brought with it an important life lesson. My time has been filled with drives to water polo games, working, volunteering as senior class photographer, and the exciting homecoming events for my sons’ school.

         The first life lesson I gained is that in the midst of all life’s busyness we must consciously choose to make time for ourselves and the Lord, and to seize opportunities as they arise. Thursday after work as I headed to my son’s afternoon water polo game, (right near the beach), I noticed I had half an hour or so before his game started, so instead of getting there early and sitting in my car waiting, I used the time to walk along the beach. What a blessing that was! I took a break from the constant hurrying and enjoyed the beautiful day. As I walked along the shore letting the waves splash up on me I was refreshed not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.  Stepping back for a moment gives us a clear perspective and a joyful attitude.

     The second lessons I learned were at that water polo game, “Trust in the Lord” and “pray on all occasions”. My son plays goalie, so the pressure was on. As a mom I also have the role of cheerleader. That day they played against a very hard team, but my son did a good job of blocking many balls, two of which were with his face. So my cheerleading stopped, as my role of mom came to the fore front. I could see the pain in his eyes. He was struggling, but would not quit. The refs didn’t seem to notice, so I yelled to my son to call a time out, but he motioned to me that he would be ok. All I could do was sit there and pray. Actually, that was the most important thing I could do for my son. When we feel helpless, He is our help. My son’s jaw is healing nicely. I will continue to pray for his safety and protection.

The third lesson I learned is that there is a reason we go to high school when we are young… it takes a lot of energy. It sure is fun to step back and watch my boys go through this adventure though.  Sometimes I start to reflect on when they were little and I miss the silly childhood fun. But, I have learned that as scripture says, “Don’t long for the good old days” (Ecclesiastes 7:10), instead enjoy the present. I am actually in the process of making more “good old days”.  The week of homecoming brings a lot of excitement and activities, such as dressing up each day. One of the days my 14 year old went to school in dinosaur pajamas and my 17 year old went with a bike helmet covered in aluminum foil. The themes were “prehistoric” and “future”.  So, it turns out, we don’t have to give up the silly childhood fun after all.

      I was able to watch the fourth in action with my sons this weekend. True and Christ-like friends are priceless. They give you a safe place to be yourself; they show you it’s ok to not go to the “cool kid” party, even if you are invited. True friends support you, encourage you, protect you and love you. It’s better to spend time with a small group of true friends than be surrounded by a huge group of acquaintances who really don’t have your best interest at heart. Friends who encourage you on “paths of righteousness” are your real friends.

 Psalm 18:24, “ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

My fifth and final lesson this week is, “what satan intends for evil, God uses for good”. There was a little bump in the road this weekend and it could have turned into a huge mountain if eyes were not on God. Due to respect of privacy I can’t go into great detail of the event, but I can tell you, God is good. He tells us to bring everything into the light, have open communication, trusting each other and God, whatever comes our way. Satan only wins when we keep things in the dark, letting division and mistrust set in. God is a healer and a restorer, making things better than before. Look to Him first and foremost. “He blesses us beyond anything we could ask or even imagine”.

Lemon

Lemonade

Lemonade

        About two years ago, I got a new car. Actually it was better than new. It was used, with only a few thousand miles on it; which meant we got a really good deal on it… or so we thought.   I was really enjoying this car. It was the perfect size, a smaller SUV; which was a step down from my large SUV. It was nice and roomy inside, plenty of cargo space and better gas mileage. Well, not long after we got it, it started breaking down. It got to the point we had to call a tow truck to come pick it up about twice a week. They would tow it to the dealership; they would fix it up and then call us to come pick it up. After a few days, the same cycle would happen again. It seems the engine could not cool properly. The gauges would show the engine getting steaming hot, and stuff would pour out of the bottom. We knew we had a lemon, but we had to wait out the process. Eventually the dealership would have to agree with us and legally declare it a lemon.

           So, one day (when it was supposedly fixed) I took the boys and our cousin for a fun-filled day at the beach. On our way home we took the windiest canyon of all, Decker. We had made our way to the top of the canyon when all of a sudden the red lights were flashing and the check engine light was blaring. Smoke or steam (not sure which) started to come out from under the hood. We quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car. I knew my car might be lost, but I didn’t want to have to replace beach chairs on top of that. So we quickly got everything that wasn’t nailed down, out of the car and then moved a bit away (in case it exploded). I called my husband and he called the tow truck, again. Now, while we were waiting, we could have been pretty bummed out, but instead we turned it into a party of sorts. We unfolded our beach chairs, opened the cooler, got out some snacks and drinks. As we sat there relaxing, cars would drive by periodically. We began waving and clapping and hooting and hollering hello to everyone that passed by. Everyone would wave, smile, honk and holler back, but no one ever stopped to see if we needed help. I guess we looked like we were day camping on the side of the road on purpose, since we were having such a good time. Eventually the tow truck did come and eventually our car was declared a lemon and we got our money back. Everything turned out just fine.

         So that’s my story of how to take a lemon and make lemonade, by taking a bad situation and turning it into a fun memory. More important than that is the testimony I can offer when I am not sidetracked or knocked off balance as trials come. The way I handle difficult situations can bring glory to God, if I let what is truly important guide my reactions. Do I always react this well? Unfortunately, no. But it sure is nicer when I do.

"The joy of the Lord is my strength”, Nehemiah 8:10