To Glory In The Moment

Glory in the Moment.

To glory in a moment is to take in everything it has to offer - and cherish it.  Relish the moment.  Be present in the moment.  So. Present.

Glory in the Moment

Glory, as in heaven.  Eternity.  Eternity in every moment.  Every moment in light of Eternity.  The two cannot be separated.  If they are separated, the moment loses perspective.  Without eternal perspective, moments become mundane.

Moments matter.  Even the smallest ones.

Motherhood is hard.  Without eternal perspective, it can become a string of endless tasks, exhaustion, and failures.  I never really accomplish anything.  I can't win at motherhood.  No one measures my performance.  No report card.  No raises.  No measurable growth.  Finish the laundry, for about 10 seconds before something else is in the hamper… unload the dishwasher to make room for the already dirty dishes.  Diapers.  Need I say more?  Dinner…. sweet goodness, dinner.  Might as well be a curse word.  How hard can it be?  Plan meals… get the stuff from the store… make the stuff.  Repeat.  Why is it so hard?  Sleep… evasive sleep.  And the crying… Everyone in my house during the day has big feelings, and often times those feelings are expressed in tear form.  Just no.  Too much crying.  I never finish that list.  Ever.  Let's be honest, I'm lucky if I brush my teeth twice a day and shower every 3 days.

I digress.  Motherhood is hard.  And if we aren't careful, the hard can eclipse the MAGIC.  That's right, I said magic.  What's magic about it?  Tiny human souls are in our care.  They have been gifted to us.  Gifted to us to wipe and spank their butts - I mean shepherd their hearts.  Both are true.

Tiny human souls.  ETERNAL beings meet us first.  Humbling.  But, Jamison, what about the dishes and dinner and diapers and laundry and sweeping and hosting and baths and bills and oh my gosh I cannot build another tower or feel guilty about my children watching The Jungle Book one more time today - I mean this week?  Well, let me tell you about all those things.  They are the tiny pieces of sand that if you magnify enough in your mind will become boulders that crush your joy and distort your vision of the gift that is your life and the purpose to which you are called… and most importantly that reduce you to a shadow of who you are called to be as an individual soul - an image bearer of God himself - and as the caregiver in your home.

Do you know what matters? Eternity.  Jesus on the cross saving us from our sins that we might live FOREVER in his presence.  That's all.  That is the ONLY thing that matters.  And the only way anything else matters in this world is if it has eternal value.  Do you know what has eternal value?  Souls.  Tiny souls.  Friend souls.  Husband souls.  Stranger souls.  Celebrity souls.  (I just like celebrities.  I know not why.)

So here is what I'm getting at… in order to live this life in the richest possible way we MUST:

1. Be present in the moments that make up all of our days.  Be present as in: put down our phones, look people in the eye, give undivided attention, be INTENTIONAL with your time, and for the love of everything stop making lists of all the things we need to do or change that have NO eternal value or purpose at all.  Be in the moment with your kids, friends, husbands, strangers - yourself even.  The moment.  Be. In. It.   It changes everything.

2. Maintain kingdom perspective at all times.  How does whatever situation is going on, or irking you, or actually truly crushing your spirit and breaking your heart fit into the BIG picture of Jesus' story of redeeming all things to himself?

The only way we honor Jesus, is to never dwarf what he did in light of our temporary circumstance.  It should always be the reverse.  We look at our temporary circumstances in light of his sacrifice, grace, and love.

The only way we honor the souls around us, is to give our whole selves to them without petty distraction.

The only way we honor our own soul is to feed it, protect it, stretch it, and open it through intentional and thoughtful care.  What we watch, read, do, dwell on, hope for, dream of, give power to, etc.

The intention of this blog is to offer ideas and share experiences on how to be purposeful, intentional, and fierce about making this vapor of a life what we are all so desperately hoping it will be.  Meaningful.  Worthy.  Honoring.  Inspiring.  Joyful.  Deep.  Passionate.  Beautiful.  Complete.

We want to squeeze every last drop of purpose out of it.
Let's frickin' get after it.