This picture reminds me of one thing – a thing I think about often: Life is Brief and Incredible. And each moment is sacred – a chance to write on eternity’s walls with the gift that is before us called the Present. Robert Brault said, “Life is short. God’s way of encouraging a bit of focus.” There is an odd tension that often comes when we allow ourselves to focus, especially in Western Culture. To focus on one thing means to stop multi-tasking (which I, as a Mom, know all about) and start paying attention its proper dues.

What are its proper dues?

To slow down – when our calendar is so full that all the little time blocks are full, something needs to change. We need to be okay with sitting for a spell, as Grandma would say, and watch the hummingbirds suck sugar water from the red bird feeder on that Cabin front porch, observing how their wings flutter a thousand times a minute, without break, appearing as a blur. To waste a morning on coffee and conversation (or rather, to invest it well). When we slow down physically and emotionally and mentally, we actually give ourselves room and space to meditate, which brings me to “Proper dues number two.”

To meditate – when I got married, I will never forget it. The room, the music, the people, the dresses (they were all wearing a dress from a different nation, some barefoot, some with exotic colors from distant lands, all of it reflecting my heart’s love for the World. And someone, some wise person, told me to not let anything that happened that day (because issues crop up in every event, of course, like people’s tables at the reception being confused, a candle not lighting during the ceremony, a problem with a bouquet, etc) spoil my joy or keep me from just soaking it all in – because it would never happen again. I would stand at the back of the church, no one aware and all seated, and begin my walk down the aisle and into a whole new future with the man I had chosen. When we allow ourselves to enjoy a moment and soak in its purpose and gift to us, we hallow that moment.

To invite God in – Scripture tells us very few things about a man named Enoch, but his life haunts me and drives me on with its mystery and intrigue. It simply says, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” Genesis 5:24. The only other thing we read about him is in the “Faith Hall of Fame” where it said that he had the testimony that he pleased God. God was so pleased with this man I can imagine him saying, “I just can’t stand it anymore. You must be here with me!” …and took him. He must have walked on that fine line between heaven and earth – an eye always on heaven, with his feet planted firmly on earth. You and I, when we slow down, when we meditate on the purpose and gift of that moment, we actually have time to invite God in with us. I may be sweeping my kitchen floor, but God is just as interested in communion and fellowship at that moment than when I am in the throes of worship on a Sunday morning – thankfully, He is that interested in intimacy with His children.

To invest in people – I sat down with a new friend this week after dinner for tea. And we lamented how, in our city, it is almost impossible not to have to say “let me check my calendar” when someone asks to get together, which may take up to a month or more. She told me a friend of hers wished for the days and places where friends could knock on the door unannounced – spontaneous fellowship. When our face is stuck in our smart phone (this is why I don’t have one) at the pool or park or metro or coffee shop, we simply can’t see the people walking by who may want to talk. When are doors are closed and locked to our homes all day every day except to leave in the morning and return again that evening, our neighbors have no room to stop in for a visit. I want to live so that I see people – really see them for who they are, and listen wholeheartedly, not with my mouth saying, “Yeah, oh really?, um-hmmm” but my mind thinking “What is it I have to be doing this afternoon again?”

To let it be what it is – some moments are tranquil and peaceful, some are crazy and uncontrollable – but all are important and all are worth our focus and attention. When both my kids are screaming because one of them downed half the ketchup bottle and the other one needs help wiping, if I slow down and invite God to help me and be with us, I might not blow a fuse. Which gets me to a final thought for today –

Focusing on and in the moment encourages obedience towards God and love towards others. How can I obey the Lord where I have been called to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” if I am hurried, frantic, and reactive to everything that comes my way? It is simply impossible. If I refuse to rush through life, I allow my children (who are with me all day long) to slow down as well and don’t teach them that rushing equals redemption of time. Rather, I want to teach them that they are worth the time it takes for me to take a breath, say a prayer, and respond to them with loving yet firm correction when they eat the gum out of the trash can after I have told them not to – again. When I anticipate my husband’s arrival from work I can prepare to greet him with a kiss and a hug and a “how was your day?” before I react with a  “take the kids NOW. I am tired.”

What about you? How can you hallow your moments and thus invest them well in eternity? One day, one hour, one moment at a time – because life is a gift – and this moment is all that we have. Selah.