When you really need to take a moment

Acouple of days after Thanksgiving, I slid my belongings into a bag and thoughtthrough my list of what I still needed to do before we took our long returntrip home. I wondered if I had enough time to take a final bike ride along theshore before the rest of the house stirred.

Bikeriding is at the top of my list of favorite things to do in this world. I imagineit’s for the same reasons that people ride motorcycles, but I like the windagainst my helmet at a more moderate speed, say, five miles an hour. I’ve had spillsand near misses over the years, but I still go for it even when the weather isa little iffy.

Thepractical side of me weighed in and answered my question, “No, you still havemore work to do.” So, I kept zipping along. As I worked, I’d occasionally glanceoutside where the sun rose on the horizon. As it sometimes does, my watch bingedand I checked it to see if I had a text message, but instead these words appeared,“Take a moment.”

Iguess my activity level had signaled my watch to deliver a reminder to slowdown a bit. But for me, it was just the encouragement I needed to tip the scalein favor of the bike ride.

Istrapped on my helmet, grabbed a jacket, and took off. I’m so glad I did. Iwould have hated to face hours riding in the car knowing I gave up thosemoments of joy. The ride held bird song, lapping waves, glinting sun, and awhole host of egrets camping out in the marsh. It was a marvel to be in allthat God has created.

Hereat this juncture between Thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe we need to take a momentto reassess and decide how we’re going to spend our time. We need to factor inthe moments to just be, to really enjoy the lives we have instead of as I am proneto do—allowing our liststo rule us.

A wise man once wrote, “We should make the most of what God gives,both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given anddelighting in the work. It’s God’s gift” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 The Message).

Let's remember to offer Him thanksfor His amazing gifts.

Enjoy your moment.

 

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-24260977-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.comTo sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX Beverly Varnado copyright 2023