"They say time is money, but that's not true. Time is life. And if I want the fullest life, I need to find fullest time... the busyness of your life leaving little room for the source of your life... In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christians run out of time--wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ followers?" (Ann Voskamp, 64)
"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing... Through all that haste. I thought I as making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away." (64)
"Time is a relentless river. It rages on, a respecter of no one. And this, this is the only way to slow time: When I fully enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of my full attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. I can slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment. And when I'm always looking for the next glimpse of glory, I slow and enter. And time slow. Weigh down this moment in with attention full, and the whole of time's river slows, slows, slows." (68)
So I continue looking for the next glimpse of glory. I continue making my list of one thousand gifts
32. Fresh fruit dripping with juicy sweetness.
33. Baby hands turning the thick pages of a children's book.
34. The cozy warmth of a child nuzzled onto my shoulder.
35. A newborn baby fast asleep on my chest. A moment so precious that nothing else matters in the world.
36. Soft baby skin.
"I want to slow down and taste life, gives thanks, and see God." (77)
37. Boy who shouts Mommy! every time he gets off the school bus and runs into my arms.
38. The subtle thumps and whispers that signal that the house is awaking.
39. The childlike innocence of backwards pants, shoes on the wrong feet, and hair in a gnarly mess.
40. Family naps.
"...When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God." (70)
So glad you're enjoying the book! And I love #39! That's Preston, every day. No matter what. Backwards pants and shoes on the wrong feet. Every single time. People always ask me why I don't fix it, and I say, "he did it himself - I don't complain!" (And because I secretly love it.)
ReplyDeleteTonight at choir one of our songs was SO SSSLLLLOOOOWWWWW I thought I would explode. Your message here speaks to my heart with that relentless river, raging, respecting no one... Now, to "slow down and taste life, give thanks, and see God..." Beautiful... Thanks for taking the time to share...
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