It is a relatively peaceful Sunday afternoon around here, as peaceful as they come anyway. The kids are spread around the house making their various messes and avoiding all chores. There are the usual stresses of not enough money or time, but that is nothing new. There is no all encompassing trauma or worry that weighs on us today.
We are living, for at least now, in a Moment Before. And for that I am very thankful.
Because there are times in our lives when everything can change in a very short moment. One minute the phone rings and brings horrible news – a death, an illness, a job loss, or so many other things, and you can never go back to the moment when you didn’t know about this awful new reality that you now live in. It can happen many other ways, a car accident for example. One moment you are thinking about where you are going and what is coming next and the next moment all that has changed. The entire fabric of your life is different in color and texture and the change can’t be undone.
We can’t live in fear or expectation of these phone calls, accidents, or sudden changes, because then we forget to really live our lives. But every now and then, I like to take a deep breath and realize that this, for however long it lasts, is a Moment Before. It is a moment that someday I will wish to be back in. It is a moment to draw strength from God as He is found in the Ordinary. It is a moment to smell the roses and be thankful. Things can change in an instant and I want to be paying attention to what I have now.
Oh, you said it so well! This is such a great image and such a great catchphrase for remembering to be grateful at every moment, just as it is.
A Moment Before. I love it.
(You know how some people ask “why me?” when tragedy strikes? I am one who always wonders, “why not me?”)