Tag Archives: gift

Abiding, Loving others, Staying Present with God

In the Moments(The Gift of Presence)

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Enjoying the sun warming my face as I sit beside our waterfall on a prespring morning. The trees are awaiting the summons to explode into their canopy of multiple shades of green. As I take my last sip of coffee, the sunlight sparkles across the stream as the water cascades down the rocks into the turquoise pool below.

Two windchimes catch the breeze as it passes through the porch overhang and trade melodic peels. A wren rejoices in the new day splendor. A butterfly flutters past and lands among the yellow daffodils surrounding the garden fountain.

Our rooster crows, impatient to lead the hens out to scratch and peck. An anticipating young hawk squawks as it circles the barnyard. The coolness of the morning wind, carrying a hint of fragrant tea olive, refreshes my face.

The last twelve months have been strange. Sports were shut down. Politics and news became unbearable. Less distractions can breed moments as I describe above, intentionally savoring the details of our lives. But these moments don’t come easy for me. It’s a constant battle.  Life flies by at alarming speed. A quiet, internal voice whispers, “Slow down.”    

God has given us five sense to bring awareness of His creation around us.  These senses are available now, not yesterday, not tomorrow,  but now.

What are some of your favorites?

For me:

Sight:  Sunset or sunrise over water or mountains

Sound:  Water rushing past rocks in a mountain stream

Smell:  Tea olive, gardenias

Touch:  Sea breeze, fall wind in my face, soft sheets

Taste:  Chocolate pie, dark coffee

When we savor now, we’re enjoying what God has given us. A lady on a plane once told me that’s why now is called the present. It’s a gift.

There’s a movie entitled Our Town which drives home this point.

Emily, one of the characters, dies while giving birth to a child. However, she is permitted by the stage manager to revisit the past and to step back into the morning of her twelfth birthday as an observer.

From her vantage point, she has a nostalgic appreciation of the transient beauty of life’s little moments. However, she’s struck by how the people, including her younger self, don’t have a clue how precious the moments really are. She is stunned that nobody savors and fully appreciates now.

Emily saw everyone as so disengaged. She would later ask the stage manager, “Do human beings ever realize life while they live it?”

Emily’s questions is profoundly convicting. How many moments have I missed by regretting the past or worrying about the future? How many opportunities have I missed with the ones I love? Do I lean in and truly listen? Or am I more concerned with what I’ll say in response? Am I really with others or am I half engaged, pondering a pressing duty?

Even in my morning times with God? Have I already allowed the awaiting responsibilities to distract me? Have I forgotten that God, the Creator of the universe, wants to be with me and enjoys my fellowship? 

The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy, (Zephaniah 3:17 NASB)  

Have I forgotten there is no place for worry?

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”[1] Jesus

And as I go into the day, do I forget to  “abide” in Jesus the Vine of Life,  to “tarry,” to “stay present with” Him?

Staying present with Jesus is essential to my day. Otherwise, He tells me my efforts are worth nothing. [2] How exhausting and deflating is that?

Challenge:  Take notice of what you see and hear right this moment. Do you smell anything? Perhaps you’re drinking a cup of coffee and feel a gentle breeze upon your face.

What tends to call you away from being fully present? Is it a looming duty, a past regret, worrying about the future? Whatever it is it robs you of fully embracing the gift of now. Give these things to God and don’t take them back.

The people in our lives are loved and cared for during life’s present moments. In an instant, now become a memory. When we savor our times, with the people God places in our paths, there’s a richness which touches our hearts and slows the swirl of life.

But what’s most important is being present with God. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Jesus. God is in us and around us. We are in Him and He is in us. We are never alone. He’s always ready to enjoy the moment with us.

In Your presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11b NASB)

[1] Matthew 6:34

[2] John 15:5

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

Novels by the Author:

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family. Hope Remains

Trusting, Resting, Enjoying, Loving

In the Moments(As Sea Gulls Fly)

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Martha had enough. Her sister Mary did it again, left her to do all the work while she just sat there. Martha was distracted by all the preparations. And though the very source of Joy was with her, she was focused on what she had to do.

Sound familiar?

“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

But how can life really be about one thing? Without Martha, no food would have been served.

On a slow morning, sitting on a dock facing the intracoastal waterway in Wilmington, NC, I’m once again pondering how to rest as Mary did without neglecting my responsibilities.

The mid-morning sun warms the steady breeze as it whips across my face. I look across the gray blue waterway and see white caps ushering the tide to my right. The rhythmic waves lap upon the shore only interrupted by the rubbing of the floating docks along the pile driven wooden poles and the distant sound of a dog’s bark.

I have sought my own answers to this quandary for years, but this morning it all seems clear. No profound answers are given, only His strong hand outstretched; inviting me to give Him my cares. He’s much more concerned about us being together than what I’ll accomplish. Together, He will show me how to live a Mary life in a Martha world.

My worries are safely sealed, waiting for His commands to be revealed.

Two light yellow butterflies dart across the rolling tide. Above the water flow, there is a lime green strip of land below a line of emerald trees, couching white, multi-storied buildings in the distance. Above the tree line, a cloudless sky rises in deeper shades of pastel blue towards the heavens.

Wow! Is this joy, this trusting, this resting, this enjoying His presence? Is this abiding? Is this what Jesus means when He tells me to remain in His love?

A convergence. Totally unplanned. Unscripted. A gift.

A sea gull effortlessly glides above me. Out stretched wings riding on unseen strength. Lord, is this like us resting in Your strength as we journey? Positioning in the wind of Your presence, relying on You to empower and guide.

So, what now? I could regret millions of distracted moments in my past when I labored without a thought of His nearness. Flapping against the wind.

But I won’t.

I ‘ll go forth with a deeper understanding of what Jesus means when he tells me not to worry, but to seek His Will, His Kingdom, His supremacy in my life.

All that other stuff, the things I seem to focus on, what I’ll eat and what I’ll wear and what I’ll drink – He’s got that. He and I  have more important things to do, like resting in His presence enjoying our time together.

And by the way, when I am doing that (Enjoying moments of life with Him) I will naturally love the people I meet along the way. When, like Mary, I’m in tune with my Lord’s nearness, when I’m yielding to His Indwelling Spirit, His love flows through me to others. My number one concern now is to love others as He has loved me. This  starts with resting in His love.

Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

“Love is the overflow of joy in God that gladly meets the needs of others.”  John Piper

Trusting, Resting, Enjoying, Loving

Prayer

Lord, truly these moments cannot be scripted. However, like the sea gull, I can spread the wings of my life out to You. I can trust that as I rest in your Indwelling presence, You will carry me. You in me will accomplish what needs to be done. You in me will love those who need to be loved. You in me will guide along this path of life until you receive me into Your glory. May I always have my wings ready to catch the wind of Your Holy Spirit and glide where You want me to go. Amen.

“Nevertheless I am continually with You. You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterwards receive me to glory.” Asaph from Psalm 73:23-24

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Staying Present with God

Stay Present my Friends

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And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in you. Psalm  39:7

“What do you think?” a voice interrupts your thoughts.

Suddenly you’re brought back to the present. Your spouse, your child, your friend has been sharing something important, but you were thinking about what was next on your never ending to-do list. You have no idea what they just said.  Busted!

On another occasion you miss a magical moment on your family vacation because you’re dwelling on a regret from your past.

God has given us five sense to bring awareness of His creation around us.  These senses are available now, not yesterday, not tomorrow,  but now.

What are some of your favorites when it comes to your senses?

For me:

Sight:  Sunset or sunrise over water or mountains

Sound:  Water rushing past rocks in a mountain stream

Smell:  Tea olive, gardenias

Touch:  Sea breeze, fall wind in my face, soft sheets

Taste:  Chocolate pie, dark coffee

When we savor now, we’re enjoying  a gift from God. A lady on a plane once told me that’s why now is called the present.

There’s an old movie entitled “Our Town” which drives this point home.

One of the characters named, Emily, dies while giving birth to a child. However, she is permitted by the stage manager to revisit the past and to step back into the morning of her sixteenth birthday as an observer.

From her vantage point, she has a profoundly nostalgic appreciation of the transient beauty of life’s little moments. However, she is struck by how the people, including her younger self, don’t have a clue how precious the moments of life really are. She is stunned that nobody savors and fully appreciates “now”. They all seem so disengaged. Later she would say of the living, “They don’t understand.”

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,”[1] Paul

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”[2] Jesus

God doesn’t want us to be imprisoned by the regrets of our past nor fears of our future. He wants us to be present with Him moment by moment.

Jesus tells us in John 15 to “abide” in Him. Other meanings of this word are to “tarry” or “stay present with.” Jesus goes on to say in the same chapter that there is complete joy found in “staying present” in His love and loving others as He has loved us.

Staying present with Jesus is essential to our Spiritual lives and it leads to experiencing and savoring life’s moments. Otherwise, life quickly passes us by.

Challenge:  Take notice of what you see and hear right this moment. Do you smell anything? Perhaps you’re drinking a cup of coffee and feel a gentle breeze upon your face like I’m experiencing as I write.

What tends to call you away from being fully present? Is it a looming duty, a past regret, a worry about the future? Whatever it is robs you of fully embracing the gift of now. Give these things to God and don’t take them back.

The people in our lives are loved and cared for during life’s “nows”. In an instant our present moments become memories. When we savor our times with the people God places in our path there’s a richness which touches our hearts and slows the swirl of life.

But what’s most important is being present with God. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Jesus and we are never alone. God is in us and around us. We are in Him and He is in us.

Tarry, remain, abide in Jesus. His presence is experienced now.

In your presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 b

[1] Philippians 3:13

[2] Matthew 6:34