When I was in school, I had an issue with daydreaming. Can I be honest with you? Daydreaming and I was best friends. It is a wonder that I made it out of high school considering how often I drifted away from the room and dwelled on anything that was detached from Government, Economics, or Algebra class.
I was very aware that daydreaming was a problem for me. In my own head, I would even talk to myself and say, "All right, today we are going to concentrate, focus, and gather as much knowledge as possible!"
At some point, once I came to myself, I realized that I had been daydreaming for about 10 minutes. It was daunting, to say the least, to realize after many efforts that I was still mentally leaving the room. My body was physically in the room, but my mind drifted like an untethered boat in the sea. My mind was susceptible to every wind and wave.
Have you ever drifted? Currently, your social media sites say, "In a relationship!", but you find yourself drifting beyond this relationship to more profound and meaningful relationships. You chose this spouse and you all sit at the dinner table at 7 pm every night, but you find yourself drifting. You took your children to the park to spend some quality time with them, but you are glued to a bench, while your head is tilted toward the sky, you are drifting. You went to a cooking class with your besties, but in between the sauces, spices, and poultry, you have lingered away unknowingly. You cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of your new business, but in between the snip and the ribbon falling to the ground, you have begun to drift.
I believe we seize moments that we don't stay engaged in. But, the reality is, the moment needs you! Your children need you! Your spouse needs you! Your staff needs you! Don't miss the moment.
God is aware that you have aspirations, goals, desires, and inclinations, but He doesn't want you to be distracted in your present glancing at your future. Build your life around the purpose of the present. Your ability to stay engaged, feel the emotion of the room, dwell on the laughter of your youngest daughter, and connect to the moment that your 16-year-old has a learner's permit and is behind the wheel. Hear the heartbeat of life. Move to the rhythm of the life that has been afforded to you. You only have this moment one time! It doesn't matter how many times you've eaten at the table with your spouse, this meal, this moment, will only happen one time. It doesn't matter if you've been to this pizzeria many times with the family, this moment is rare, special, and one of a kind.
Do you know your value? Do you know the level of your contribution to the room? Do you know your worth? Do you know there are people counting on you and watching you that you know not of? I don't want you to see the expense of you entering the room. I want you to see the impact of you entering the room. Many times we focus on what we expend without focusing on the impact. I know it was a lot to sit beside the bed of your grandparent, but the impact of your presence will never be forgotten. I know it took energy to mow your neighbor's yard, but the reality is his being at the hospital with his wife as she gets her chemotherapy treatment is more critical than freshly cut grass. Dwell on your impact, more than you dwell on your expense.
Christ dwelt on the impact more than he dwelt on the expense. For the joy that was set before Him, he endured the cross. Jesus was present with the disciples. He didn't drift away even when they did. He prayed while they were asleep. He slept while they were awake and anxious. Jesus stayed when everyone else left.
Some people leave because they were already gone. It took time for their body to catch up with their mind. This is not a validation of the abandonment, but it could possibly be the symptom. Simply, don't leave because you left. Come back to yourself! Be engaged in your present and let God handle your future. He has more in store for you, but not at the expense of neglecting your current obligations. It's expensive to be you, but more than the expense is the strength of your impact.
The moment is in need of you!
Pastor Tim
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