Present Presence

Hi again! And happy Friday!! One more week in the books. 😊

Oh, the moments of life. “The days pass slowly but the years fly.”

I’ve been pondering that statement lately. It is particularly poignant when I think of the time with my children. Looking back, I long to relive certain moments. And looking forward I am excited and sometimes anxious about what’s to come. But am I taking in the majesty of the now? Am I living in the present? The older I get, the greater my desire becomes to experience every moment. Yes, even the not so pleasant ones. After all, without the darkness, we wouldn’t understand light.

We spend so much time on trivial things.

Roughly one third of our lives are spent asleep. About 13 years of our lives are spent at work. Women will spend around 136 days out of their lives getting ready for the day, and men about 46 days. Four and a half years are spent eating! One study shows that 11 hours of our day is spent looking at screens – whether it’s computer, phone, or T.V. As a writer, for me, that number is probably low.

This week I have an opportunity to slow down. My husband and I are taking a few days at our lake cabin. There is no WiFi, and no cell service. And my goal is to take in every moment. I want to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature – the freshness of the morning air; the smell of coffee brewing; the sound of the birds singing in the treetops; the clear starry sky; the peeping of frogs; the song of the crickets. I want to have conversation and be fully present, exercising my listening muscles – with God and the hubs. 😊

When we get away from it all, it is often easier to “be present”. It’s in the daily grind that we are so easily distracted from the sacred seconds that tick by without notice. Can that change? Can we become more aware of the gifts hidden in the moments of our days?

My prayer for us, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, is that God gives us an awareness of His presence in the individual moments of our day.

This has been my personal prayer for this week. Maybe you’d like to pray it too.

“Lord, help me to understand the beauty of the present. Reveal Yourself in the moments of life. Help me to grasp the infinite in the temporary. And help me to live gratefully in Your grace and mercy each second of each day of the life you have granted to me. ~ Amen.”

Peace and Blessings

~Melissa