Savoring each Moment
In preparing the photos and quotations for the last post, I was really struck by enjoying every bite. My husband does call me a bit of a foodie. I enjoy good food, so this is not a new concept. But there is simply something that has struck me about savoring. Don’t we so often stop to grab a coffee or muffin on the way from place to another? We don’t think about stopping and enjoying the coffee or muffin, we likely eat it in our car on the way. But it is all the things ‘on the way’ that make up our day. ‘What did you do today?’ we ask our loved ones. And sometime the answer is ‘I can’t remember’ or ‘nothing’. We seek an answer that shows we were meaningful in our day. We want to have a day to savor.
Jesus wanted a fig
Jesus was walking along and saw the fig tree. As he approached it, he found that it did not have any fruit. What our co-heir Jesus wanted was a fig, and he stepped off the path to get one. Jesus often stopped on his way from one place to another. It wasn’t the destination; it was the journey that was important. It isn’t getting to the next plateau of life, it is how we get there, what we do along the way.
I guess it is a ‘stop and smell the roses’ kind of thing. Stop and pay attention to what is going on around us. Stop and be kind as I stand in line at the coffee shop, ask how the barista is doing; spread peace and not hurry. There is nothing wrong with stopping to enjoy the coffee or muffin either. We often tell ourselves that we ‘don’t have time’ and we hurry up just to wait somewhere else. But I find when we are stopping for a restful moment and we are being the better person, paying attention to what is going on and contributing out of choice and not personal drive, the ‘on the way’ turns into ‘during my day’.
Drawn in two directions
I guess the last time I read my online Bible it was left on the Amplified version, and this verse in the fig tree section shouts out to me. Matthew 21:21 (AMP) says, ‘Jesus replied to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen [if God wills it].’ Did you see that part where it says ‘do not allow yourself to be drawn in two directions? I think when we stand in line or sit in the drive thru, we are half thinking about that coffee and half thinking of our destination. A simple change of mind to focus on the current moment is what this is suggesting.
Focusing on the now and leaving the destination to God, in full trust is what this is talking about. We are not just talking about the ‘big stuff’, like my marriage, my job, making it to the end of the month financially. We are talking about living this moment as Christ calls us to live and leaving the next moment to Him to assemble. He goes before us and stays beside. He has set out the next destination, but he calls us to walk in His ways to get there. He is talking about leaving the destination to Him and walking hand in hand with each moment, each interaction receiving our focus and dedication. Living out the peace and joy and love and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control is about living in this moment.
He sent the Spirit to accompany us on that walk, sharing the load with us through the day, stopping and starting to get us moving. Am I living as the Spirit would lead me? Are we in step with the Spirit, loving our neighbor as ourselves? I think I have work to do. I need to savor the moment, the good food, the good company. I need to savor the ‘on my way’ moments as much as the destination. Then when I answer what I’ve done today, I will have given up the hurry because I have little momentary treasures in which I lived well, savoring each one.
