I Never Saw Today!

“I never saw today!” my son, then 4-years-old, exclaimed as he peered out the van window. There were some dark grey storm clouds ahead of us. Behind them was blue sky, with splashes of pink and gold. It was the beginning of sunset, and, evidently, my son had never seen the sky in exactly that form before. The only way for him to describe this amazing sky was, “I never saw today!”

I was reminded that I, too, “never saw today.” My day had been full of school Christmas parties and continuing to prepare for another party that evening. I was scurrying around doing the tasks of the day and hadn’t stopped once to wonder at the day given to me by my Creator.

We are getting ready to hit the holiday season with full force. It might be a good idea to decide right now that you won’t miss “today.” I am going to try not to let the tasks overshadow the meaning of Christmas. I want to enjoy this season with my family and friends. It is ok to take the time to enjoy the people and events of the season.

So instead of “Seize the Day” I think I will try to “See today!”

“Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’" (Lamentations 3:22-24)

15 Seconds

I overheard a very interesting conversation yesterday. I was returning a DVD at a video store. Behind the desk, there were two clerks bantering about the computer system. Evidently, every time they used the computer, some promotional pictures came up and they had to wait for them in order to get the customer information they were accessing.

One of the guys said, “Yeah, it takes like 15 seconds to get to the screen you want. It sucks.”

I chuckled to myself. The clerk said that sentence in earnest.

15 seconds was an imposition.

This was just another example of how our culture has issues with hurry and speed. With our computers, we expect things to happen within 2-3 seconds. “What is taking this page so long to load?” “Can’t this file download any faster?”

What kind of a life is it if you can’t wait 15 seconds for something to happen? As I thought about it, it was a reminder for me to slow down inside. I have written about this before in my blog. I guess it just comes up a lot in the culture of Orange County.

I am not trying to point fingers. I fight that inner hurry almost every day in my own life. I don’t like it and I don’t really consider myself to be “Type A.” Yet I struggle with that need to “move forward to that next thing.”

What I really want is to enjoy every moment...to truly be with the person I am with...to listen well...to be...

Got 15 seconds to spare?