The “Present” is Holy
Yesterday was rough. There were fits after fits, crying, and frustration. Correction seemed to be the theme of the day, and it was, to say the least, exhausting. Not only was my toddler being a full-blown toddler, but us parent were navigating our “big people” regular life problems, trying to talk through plans and opportunities we have ahead. So all of our nerves were high, but we did our best to be present, get out in the sun, play with the kids, move our bodies, socialize with friends, and find moments of quiet time.
At the end of the day, I decided I needed an earlier bedtime to give my body the rest it desperately needed. As my toddler softly pushes my door open and quietly crawls into my bed, I brace myself for his little whispers in my ear. He begins chatting, and I remind him that it is time for bed. I begin to pray for him, and we exchange a million little kisses and hugs. After a few minutes of silence, the whispers start again, but this time he starts talking about his day.
My busy mind, filled with a million thoughts of what is to come tomorrow, suddenly began to focus on his words. I hear him listing all of the things we did. He says, “and I loved the birthday cake I made you out of sand (kinetic), and we went on that long walk to pick up brother from school…” As I continue listening to his version of the day, I noticed that not once did he mention the fits, fussing, tantrums, or correction. It hit me in that moment! My 3-year-old did not remember the bad moments of the day, or maybe he did but chose not to focus on them. His little mind only focused on the joyful moments and memories we made. Everything he mentioned seemed so mundane to me as we were doing them, but to him, they were his biggest moments of the day.
I began to talk to God and apologize for making the not-so-great moments of the day overshadow the beautiful ones, the moments that mattered the most. I said to the Lord, what would my day look like if I followed my child's thought process and magnified the good over the bad? What joy would I experience? Would I have the same contentment that he showed as he told me about his day? Would I finally understand that the present, the right now, is the holiest moment I have?
Prayer:
God, thank you for reminding your children that it is okay to have moments that don’t feel great. Please help us to not to allow those moments to become consuming. You have so much goodness in each day that you offer us, and we don’t want to miss it. Help us to pause and reflect on your truth when we feel defeated by our circumstances and remember James 1:2 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” The hard moments are fleeting, so let us remember to focus on all of the good you show us each and every day.
In Jesus name, Amen
