IN THE MOMENT

Summer is waning in Montana. The days of August are cooler and the evenings are requiring sweaters once again. Soon, Autumn, my favorite time of the year will be here and I can't wait! I've observed that so much of our lives are spent looking ahead to the next thing rather than savoring the current path that we're on. I'm guilty of that. When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to be an adult and run my own life. I blinked my eyes and suddenly I am almost 64 years old and am now considered a senior citizen. As a young mom, I thought my days were exhaustingly long and I looked forward to a time when my children were a little more independent. I blinked my eyes and found that they were all grown up and living lives of their own. I looked forward to our retirement years when it would be just the 2 of us, having more time to do all the things we wanted to do. I blinked my eyes and it's been almost 8 years now since we retired to Montana. Our days are filled to overflowing, with chores, hobbies, and serving. We serve at our church and do ministry more than I ever thought we would. I don't understand people that retire and are bored, serving Jesus and serving others has given us a fulfillment and a contentment that I never knew was possible.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, it tells us that, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

I am learning to live more in the moment these days, taking time to not just smell the flowers, but learning what they are called. Maybe it's because there are more days in my rearview mirror than there are ahead of me? I don't think so, I like to believe that the Holy Spirit has filled me with deep contentment; it's the contentment that Paul speaks of in Philippians that is rooted in Christ alone.

I recently bought a book titled, "Holy Hygge". Hygge (HYOO-guh) is a Danish word that conveys the idea of "soul rest", "sanctuary", "comfort", "making the mundane meaningful". In German we would use the word, "Gemutlichkeit". The author takes this concept further with the intent that we are to create spaces where the good news of Jesus is shared and cultivated. As I have been reading this book, I realize that we have been actively living out this idea, as we extend the gift of hospitality to others. As people have stayed with us, my goal has always been that people have felt this to be a sort of retreat and that they leave here refreshed. In the "everyday-ness" of our lives, as we entertain people with a meal, conversation, or games, the goal is that it always be God-honoring. Real ministry happens beyond the Church building on the weekend. It is a shared cup of coffee with a newly widowed friend. It's friendly (and competitive) card games with the neighbors up the street. It's inviting new church visitors for a warm home cooked meal and a chance to share about themselves. It's a lifestyle that is others-oriented, the exact same kind of life that Jesus lived here on this earth and examplified for us to emulate.

"Serving Jesus by serving others" is one of Dave's favorite sayings and it is always reflected in his prayers. Remembering how blessed we are, makes that idea of serving others more natural to try and live out. We are blessed to be a blessing...isn't our Heavenly Father good?!