Drinking In The Moments

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  John 7:38

We arrived home just in time to see momma deer with her new born taking nourishment among the trees in our backyard.  It was a moment that I just stopped and watched from the kitchen window - nature at its most innocent moment.  A little fawn drinking from its mother.  It was a moment that God allowed us to step into His creation and see the beauty of life and the trust of innocence.

My niece asked me if I wanted to hold her new granddaughter – my great niece who is just two and half weeks old.  Of course, I said yes.  I held her in worship as we sang praise songs.  A line in one of the songs as I held her was – “I am a child of God.”  I drank in that moment and felt the presence of God.  It was a holy moment to hold this precious child – a child of God - through the entire worship service as she fell asleep in my arms.  It is truly a miracle how God created humanity.  We are precious in His sight.  My soul was full.

I officiated at the funeral of a dear soul who now is singing in Heaven.  During the visitation, her granddaughter created a beautiful video of her grandmother.  One video showed Sue laughing and smiling with her great grandchildren.  I stood between the video and the casket.  Her body had no life, but her spirit of love and joy filled the room.  I drank in the moment.  Sue is alive in Heaven, and her love is alive in the hearts of all who loved her.

I visited my friend whose daughter died this year.  Her daughter was my dear friend.  We shared stories of her daughter, Jan, and talked about ways to celebrate her birthday by remembering how she lived.  Jan always knew what to do next for her mom.  But then, we told stories and I saw the laughter in the memories.  I drank in the moment that God had placed me right there to bring her joy for a moment in the midst of the sadness.

Then my next visit was with Dick.  His wife died three months after my husband, Dave.  Dick and I walked through grief together being connected to the same church.  We would hug each other in our grief and share those honest moments that others did not understand.  My visit began with a hug and ended with a hug.  It was a moment where I paused and absorbed the connection.  Words were not needed.

In my next visits, I experienced the need for conversation and understanding.  I listened and heard the need for connection and for someone to just care about who they are and where they are in life.  I heard regret.  I heard confusion.  I heard joy.  I heard need.  I sat in the moment and took into my heart my purpose God had for me in that moment.  Just to be present and to listen.

I officiated at the memorial service for the father of a friend.  As the VFW folded the flag and presented it to my friend, I took in the moment – the memory of receiving a flag.  I holy moment where tears flow freely without embarrassment. Then the taps were played and the moment became sweeter and holier.  I drank in the solemness and respect.  My soul was refreshed in the memory and the sacredness of the ceremony.

Then the ashes of my friend’s mom and dad were placed in linen bags and then buried in the memorial garden.  They were buried together and the ashes would be absorbed into the earth – ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  We came from the earth and to the earth we return.  My friend showed me a picture of her parents happy and laughing together.  They lived, they loved and they made a difference, and now their love is absorbed into their family and those touched in life by them.

What does it mean to drink?  We drink water and other fluids to keep our bodies hydrated and healthy.  The liquid is absorbed into our bodies, but it takes time.  It is drinking slowly and deliberately.  Our souls need to be hydrated and refreshed, too.  It is pausing in the sacred moments of life and any moment can be sacred when you are aware of the presence of God in the moment.  It is drinking in the moment, that is, slowing yourself down and being totally present in the moment.  It is using all your senses to truly be in the moment.  It is absorbing the holiness and being refreshed and renewed in it.

God wants us to slow down and meet Him in the moments of life.  It is not our schedule and timing but God’s.  When we pause and drink in the living water that Jesus gives, we truly find refreshment, peace and contentment.  We experience God in ways we had previously rushed past.  It is hydrating our souls with the life-giving moments that are holy and sacred all around us.

Drink in the moments of life and allow them to renew and refresh your soul.

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