Finding Your Joy - Being Present

Finding Your Joy - Being Present

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.—Sydney Harris

I WASTED PRECIOUS “this moments” with my family by not stopping to take in the details of everyday exchanges. Oh, the kids had my full attention when the tears were flowing or when they slammed the bedroom door! (That only happened once. At our house if you slammed the door, Dad would remove it from the hinges to ensure it didn’t get in your way again.) But the little things that make a conversation so precious—facial expressions, giggles, or a well-kept secret finally shared—sometimes went by without my full registration of the moment. Why? I was too busy trying to do other things. Were the other things—like cooking dinner or folding towels—more important? No, of course not. So why didn’t I stop whatever else I was doing to be in that moment?

There will always be challenges with the kids, issues with the boss, home appliances that break down, or a girlfriend whose feelings were hurt. If we are constantly thinking about the next moment and what we need to do, how can we possibly enjoy and be in this one? You will have another moment to deal with life. Life’s stuff is not going away—it will wait for you.

To excel at being in this moment, you will want to turn off the stove when your kids are in the kitchen with you after school. (It’s okay—dinner can be late.) You’ll switch off the TV when your grown kids come over. You will turn off your mobile phone when you go to lunch with a girlfriend. You will learn to ssshh the constant chattering in your head. Being in this moment will allow you to see, hear, and feel in a whole new way. And that, my friend, is pure joy.

Please, LORD, rescue me! Come quickly, LORD, and help me. (Psalm 40:13)

Choose to make this moment a priority for you and the ones you love. Pure, uncommon joy awaits you.