Precious Moments

"You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Psalm 16:11

Precious moments. Precious moments. Precious moments. 

These two words have echoed in my mind so frequently throughout the past few weeks. Each day passes by in the blink of an eye and the next seems to come and go more quickly than the last. With a clear departure date drawing nearer and nearer, my hope is that time would slow down and sometimes that the clock would just stop altogether, allowing me to live in certain moments for just a little longer. 

A few more moments of holding onto the little girl who fell asleep in my arms. 

A few more moments of listening to the contagious giggles of a particular little patient. 

A few more moments of chasing a soccer ball down the corridor.

A few more moments of an evening shift hallway dance party.  

A few more moments watching the rising sun in the presence of my God. 

A few more moments in the joy and laughter of community created by our Senegalese crew. 

A few more moments gathered around the dish of “se bon” on the beach, each with our own spoon in hand. 

A few more moments in prayer and in the presence of my two beautiful sisters in Christ before they departed the ship. 

A few more moments at the lunch table with many who were strangers to me just four months ago, and are now dear friends. 

Just a few more moments. 

Though God hasn’t frozen time, He has consoled my heart. He has met me with His comfort and His peace in abundance. He has shifted the ask of my prayers from stopping the clock to opening my eyes; asking Him to help me see that which He would have me to see. He has reminded me that it is in the midst of these moments, these precious moments, that I can be still and simply soak in my surroundings. It is in those moments that I can step back, record the details, and give Him thanks for placing me in that particular space in time. 

Friend. Brother or sister. I don’t know your situation or circumstance. I don’t know what you have walked through, are in the midst of, or are walking towards. You may or may not be approaching a specific departure date on the calendar with each passing day, but I believe the message to be the same to all of us here. I believe that God has placed each and every one of us exactly where we are today. He has prepared each moment of each day for us individually and He has prepared each of us for each moment of every day.

Let us then, take some time to pause in the precious moments that He gives us, turning to Him with all thanks and praise in the details. I invite you to join me in this today.