?I never saw today!? my son, then 4-years-old, exclaimed as he peered out the van window. There were some dark grey storm clouds ahead of us. Behind them was blue sky, with splashes of pink and gold. It was the beginning of sunset, and, evidently, my son had never seen the sky exactly like that before. The only way for him to describe this amazing sky was, ?I never saw today!?
I was reminded that I, too, ?never saw today.? My day had been full of school Christmas parties and continuing to prepare for another party that evening. I was scurrying around managing the tasks of the day and hadn?t stopped once to wonder at the day given to me by my Creator.
Presently, I seek to be aware of the current moment. Presence makes life so much more enjoyable. I try to listen to the person speaking to me, to see the flowers on the path along my walk, to sense the love of God as I attend to my errands, and, yes, to enjoy a beautiful sunset. It is simple presence in the seemingly mundane that can give meaning to our days?because we know that God is with us and we are with Him.
So instead of ?Seize the Day? I think I will try to ?See the Day!?
?Because of the LORD?s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ?The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.?? (Lamentations 3:22-24)
See the Day!?Try?experimenting with being more present and aware during one of your appointments or tasks.
If you are meeting with a person:
- Look them in the eye.
- Listen attentively.
- Pray for them as they speak to you.
- Let God?s love flow through you to them.
If you are accomplishing a task:
- Give God thanks for this opportunity.
- Notice your surroundings. Is there something unexpected?
- Try to find beauty in the moment (even if there isn?t anything inherently beautiful).
- Sense God?s love for you as you engage in this work/event/task.
Let us know how your experiment goes in the comments. Learning to become present moment by moment is an ongoing process. Distractions abound. Give yourself some space and some grace.
Originally appeared in the Presence blog, March 2014.
This is such a timely reminder as so many of us have our minds full of seasonal activity. To be mindful is to be intentional about noticing. There is so much detail in life that we pass by each day. I don’t want to grieve this as I look back in my life. Instead I want to know that I’ve been unhurried enough to see and hear what was in the moments.
Thank you for your thoughts today.