“Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4 ESV
In my mid-20’s, I attended a get-together/reunion with friends and co-workers I met while working at a camp during previous summers.
One of my friends and I were involved in conversation and he asked me, “What have you learned over the past year? What has God taught you?”
I’m embarrassed to say I couldn’t come up with an answer. Not one thing!
What did God teach me? Did the question catch me off guard, or was I so distant and distracted during that previous year I wasn’t paying attention to how God was working?
Since then, I’ve grown in my relationship with the Lord. I’ve learned a lot, with always more to learn, but the same question remains fresh on my mind.
I don’t ever want to be so busy, so pre-occupied, or so focused only on my circumstances, that life just sails on by- in a blur. Before I know it, another year’s disappeared!
In the past, I’ve “gone through the motions” too often, not giving “being present in the moment” a second thought. Evidently, age has caused me to become more retrospective!
The Bible teaches us to number our days, but what does it really mean?
We only have one life- one beautiful life. One beautiful abundant life. This is a promise from His word in John 10:10 NASB, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
So how will we choose to spend it? How will we use this one gift of abundant life to glorify God? How will we intentionally make room to be present in every moment?
One key to numbering our days is slowing down. Taking time to find and look for joy- in the small moments.
I understand the season of life we’re in differs for all of us, so our days look different as well. Having little ones around doesn’t always permit time for solitude, reflection, or listening- I get that.
Concentrating on what’s really important changes our perspective. No matter what our days look like, when we choose to abide in Christ, He provides opportunities to reveal Himself (even in the small mundane seemingly-unimportant daily things).
There’s fear, dread, sadness, and suffering present in this world, and even more so when we’re living in the middle of abuse or betrayal. It’s incredibly easy to get bogged down in despair, but let’s remember one thing.
God never condones this treatment. He’s made a way for us to persevere through our suffering and promises to be with us. His desire is joy and peace- even in our circumstances. We find it by abiding in Him.
Let’s look for God. Let’s ask Him to show us beauty and joy in the moment. To teach us what really matters- to teach us what He wants us to learn. He is faithful.
When we ask God to show us what our next right thing is, let’s listen for answers, and respond with grateful hearts. Each day is worth living when we continue abiding in Him. May it be so, for us all.