You know those blissful moments when everything is going your way from simple breaks like a series of green lights, unforeseen discounts, perfect holiday meals, landing a dream job or frame worthy vacation moments. In those moments we all linger wishing they could last. Photographs and trinkets often conjure up memories of times that can no longer be savored. I challenge you to ask yourself why aren’t blissful moments a part of everyday.
I’ve heard that if you really want to know what a person values, look at where they spend their time and money. Without saying a word people show us every day what matters most to them. Even small children have a time currency. Watch where they dart given no restraints. As adults we too find ways to distract ourselves in the mundane with social media, shopping, work and sports to name a few. Everyone deserves a reprieve from adult obligations but we hear very little about those short escapes. Even God reminds us to rest (Exodus 20:8-10) in his creation of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3.)
Standing quietly (1 Thessalonians 4:11) in a checkout line we can hear others discuss how busy and unmanageable their lives have become. Ball fields are crowded with devoted parents spectating their children’s games while frantically checking work email or media. Precious memories being robbed by an incessant need to multi-task. Busyness is now perceived as a sign of success but in actuality it’s proven to be detrimental to our health and relationships and even work performance. Insanely busy schedules could be a way of boasting self-importance or even a confession of trouble prioritizing. Just ask the fatherless child or the graduate or the grown daughter or the elderly mother how comforting it feels when the reason provided for missed memory making was busyness. (Proverbs 22:6.)
As a society we have allowed the time tyrant to consume our hours, our focus, money and attention to the point we have lost track of why we are so stressed, miserable and unhealthy. We live our lives for tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1) and when it comes we find ourselves in yet another unending fury of tail chasing. Busyness is admired and almost celebrated today at the expense of our happiness and that of our over scheduled children.
Each decision to empower this tyrant in our lives serves as a hedge of distraction from reflection and self-evaluation. We appear to be afraid of what we might find that we have done or not to measure up to society expectations. This is not a recipe for contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-7). God’s opinion of us makes all others irrelevant. We must strive to seek his approval above all else. Distractions serve as nothing more than a thief of our true joy. May my behavior demonstrate to those around me what really matters in my life. I vow to disallow warped time constraints whether self- imposed or not to continue sending an inaccurate message to the world about my values. Let’s commit to being present in each moment and thus finding the contentment and joy God intended in our lives.
Related scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, Proverbs 16:9, Luke 12:42, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Luke 12:15