In the Moment

Isn't that hard to do........just be in the moment? It seems my mind wants to be worrying about the future, figuring out the present, or contemplating the past. Today one of my children helped me realize what it means to be "in the moment."

We were reading our history read alouds this afternoon for school. Our passage was several chapters in Exodus, where Moses is continually going to Pharaoh (on behalf of God) to request he let the Israelites go into the wilderness to make sacrifices and worship God. The Pharaoh obviously refuses many, many times and so God demonstrates his power through various disasters and plagues. The kids and I were really into the story (Josh kept making sound effects to embellish my reading). We were deep in discussion about the Egyptian culture and how Pharaoh (and his people) believed him to actually BE a god, and how God kept making a point to say, "I AM GOD." It was so cool how certain disasters would cover everything in Egypt EXCEPT Goshen (where the Hebrews were). I was just thinking out loud and said, "Man, what would it have been like to be one of God's chosen people then?" And without skipping a beat Zach said, "It would've been so fun, mom."

I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear when he said that. To me, that is a heart that is living in the moment. A heart that sees the adventure in following God, watching and waiting for God to show up in the midst of disaster, uncertainty, and storms. I know I'm partial, but I think that boy may be on to something :-)

Instead of being stressed because I can't figure out how a situation is going to work out, I'd like to see it for the adventure that it is: another opportunity to see God's grace and power on behalf of his grateful child. I think maybe then, the joy and beauty of any given moment won't be so easily stolen by grief and worry.