Slowing Down
“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” ~James 4:14
“My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good. They pass by like swift ships, like an eagle swooping on its prey.” ~Job 9:25-26
“You carry them away like a flood: they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: in the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers.” ~Psalm 90:5-6
“Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away.” ~Job 14:1-2
“The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” ~1 John 2:17
“[The earth and the heavens] will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” ~Psalm 102:26-27
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
How do I live the life I’ve been given in such a way that I will have no regrets?
How can I live this life and glorify God in all that I do?
These are the constant prayers of my heart, that I will be faithful, and that I will serve my family with love and live in such a way as to have no regrets in the future.
I want to live in the moment, to really “be all there,” and not just rushing to the next thing. When I have a baby with warm body in my lap, nursing and cuddling, instead of reading a book to “kill two birds with one stone,” I’ve been just enjoying being a part of this experience. Stroking his soft skin, memorizing every little baby feature. When a little one climbs up into my lap with a book, I’m trying to “be all there,” as we read the story. Enjoying the experience rather than rushing to get through it. When my older daughter seems ready to talk, I’m trying to be there for her in mind as well as body, not letting my mind wander to the long list of chores to be done later.
And my husband…I have been realizing that we won’t always be together. As I see older ladies with husbands who have gone on before them to be with the Lord, and now they are alone, I see that we won’t have forever to be together on this earth. It hurts me to realize this. I can’t imagine life without him. And will I have regrets when we can’t be together anymore? I pray not. I pray that I can be such a wife to him that I will do him good and not evil all the days of my life. That I could be a constant stream of blessing to him.
It seems to require slowing down…living more simply and deliberately…taking time to nurture relationships. That’s where the focus of my heart is right now. Slow. Simple. Deliberate.
Wherever you are today, “be all there!”
♥Joy
*Scripture readings taken from Samuel Bagster’s “Daily Light,” morning reading for March 16
** One of my favorite quotes from Jim Eliot, Elisabeth Eliot’s first husband, who was a martyred missionary, “Wherever you are, be all there!”
Thank you for this kind comment, Tina. I hope your day is blessed!
What a beautiful post. I have tears in my eyes as I sit here. Thank you for this wonderful reminder.
Love, Tina xx