There are so many countdowns happening: a countdown to Christmas, a countdown to the end of school, a countdown to the end of the year.
The decreasing amount of daylight in winter always dampens my spirit. Even in sunny Florida darkness engulfs us.
In two days my newborn son will be six weeks old, hardly a newborn anymore.
Tomorrow will mark the four year anniversary of my father's passing into eternal life. Four years...
All of these thoughts about time have me trying to squeeze every moment out of every day. One more moment out of work, one more moment with my family, one more moment of sleep, of recharging, of playing, of writing, of praying.
One more moment.
When you think about it, the present is really all that we have. The past is gone. The future has not yet come. All we have is now. And just like that, this now becomes a then.
But, by the grace of God, another now appears. And another. And another. An infinite series of moments, chances, opportunities, nows.
Except that we know that this series - that all series - have endings.
A class period is 45 minutes. A school week has 5 days. A particular grade level has a fixed amount of time in it, and most students only spend one year there. Years only ever have 365 days. Games have time limits. Projects have deadlines. Our breaths are numbered.
Even the world, well, Christ promised that He would come again.
So, every moment counts. Every opportunity drips with potential, hope, expectation. It arises, hangs in anticipation, and then falls away gone forever. Our response to the present, to either seize or snooze it, determines our future.
While God hopefully blesses us with more moments, more breaths, more laughs, cries, hugs, fights, successes, and failures we do not get do-overs. There's no retake policy when it comes to moments.
Our moments are either Incarnational or they are wasted. They are either embraced or disgraced. Maximized or scandalized.
In the words of St. Teresa of Kolkata:
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
Let us begin living life as a gift. Blessings abound.
Make every moment count. Embrace now as if it was the last now that you will get. Consider that every interaction with someone else could be the moment that changes the world. Be nicer than you have to be. Call your mom and then put down the phone to be with the family in front of you. Hold doors and your tongue. Forgive. Heal. Love.
Make every moment count. Embrace now as if it was the last now that you will get. Consider that every interaction with someone else could be the moment that changes the world. Be nicer than you have to be. Call your mom and then put down the phone to be with the family in front of you. Hold doors and your tongue. Forgive. Heal. Love.
Make. Every. Moment. Count.
Laugh, cry, dance, sing, read (to your kids!), learn, teach, cook, speak, draw, create, listen, inspire, lead, follow, serve, pray.
Every moment is Incarnational, a chance to both be Christ to others and encounter Christ in others.
It's about time to start living like it.
Let us begin.
It's about time to start living like it.
Let us begin.
