Capturing the Moments of Life

Last week my brother-in-law tweeted a quote from Mark Batterson’s book called Soul Print.  Batterson writes, “Time may be measured in minutes, but life is measured in moments.” That got my

attention and got me thinking about the moments in life that I experience. Here are some things that came to mind: 

  • The ‘teachable moment’ is when I have an opportunity to share with one of my children about an important virtue or character issue in life. We talk about our values and beliefs so that I have the chance to pass onto them what is important to me. 
  • The ‘learnable moment’ is that occasion when I have just learned a tough life lesson that is likely to stick with me for a long while. This is unusually accompanied with some amount of pain. (Not sure if ‘learnable’ is a word or not but you know what I mean.) 
  • The ‘God moment’. I love it when I have a sudden and unexpected sense of God’s presence and reality in my life. Often this happens in a worship service but can be experienced anywhere when I am sensitive to him. 
  • The ‘peaceful moment’ is necessary for mental health. Sometimes, after a hectic day, when I sit back with a cup of tea and the house is quiet, I have a special moment of calm and peace that transcends all the chaos that I just came through. 
  • The ‘romantic moment’. Sometimes I’ll plan a special date with my wife and really look forward to our time together. And we have a great time. But there are those other times when I just look at her and I’m overwhelmed with love for her and wonder how I got so lucky. 
  • The ‘aha’ moment usually happens when I stop thinking about the problem I am trying to solve and focus on something else. Suddenly the solution to my problem pops into my mind and I go “‘aha’ now I know what to do”. 
  • The ‘majestic moment’. Living in Switzerland provides regular opportunity for this moment. During a hike in the hills or a drive through some mountain pass there are times when I see God’s creation and just have to pause to worship his majesty. What a beautiful world we live in. 
  • The ‘comfort moment’. All of us carry concerns and burdens that most other people know nothing about. So it’s always wonderful when someone comes into my life, and unknowingly ministers to me with a word of encouragement or comfort and I can keep going.

Here’s the thing about these ‘moments’ that make up life – they can’t be planned in advance. They are a gift that comes to you in the middle of your daily existence. We have to have the wisdom to acknowledge and receive them in the moment or it quickly passes.  These fleeting moments will enrich life and bring nourishment to our spirit. It’s a tragic thing to miss these opportunities because we are focused on the minutes of the day rather than spotting the moments of life.

“We should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.” Ecclesiastes 5:20 (The Message)

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