Living In Moments

“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow, God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.” Matthew 6:34 (LB)

Life is filled with moments. Moments of joy. Moments of sorrow. Moments of pain. Moments of laughter. Moments. Sometimes we feel like moments are so fast and fleeting that we don’t fully get to experience them. Other times moments seem like they are lasting a lifetime and are now our way of life. But we need to remember they are all just moments. We can do anything or endure anything if we believe it will last just a moment. A moment can be a short period of time or a long period of time. But it is still a moment.

As we grieve and feel anxious, everything seems overwhelming and the intensity of sadness feels like it will be forever. It seems impossible to do anything productive or find joy in anything. This is when we need to break the day into moments. It is giving yourself permission to fall apart and cry for a moment. This moment may last hours or even days as we begin the journey. That is OK. It is also recognizing that you can have a moment of accomplishing a task. A moment of personal care. A moment to see beauty in the sunset or in the smile of a child. A moment of worry and fear. A moment with God. It is learning to break down your life into moments and giving yourself permission to have a variety of moments in each day.

Many people have experienced fear in these past months of uncertainty with the virus and being isolated from friends and family. Fear tells us to focus on the big picture and the future. Fear wants us to be so afraid that we stop experiencing life and do nothing. We feel unable to live and have no idea what to do to bring a sense of peace or calmness into our lives.

Jesus tells us to live in the present. God is already in the future so we do not need to focus on tomorrow. Today is what we have. Even when we don’t like the present because our loved one is not with us or the fear or pain of today is unbearable, we need to focus on a moment. It is recognizing God is with me in the moment. That I can experience a moment and survive and the next moment I can do something different and focus on someone or something else. Grief is too overwhelming to focus on the pain and loss every moment of every day. We need distractions because we were not made to handle the intensity all the time. That is why we need different moments throughout our days.

It is waking up in the morning and saying, “In this moment, God, you are with me.” It is trusting God to be with you in each moment. Sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to be sad and feel lonely. “I give myself permission to have a bad or sad moment. I won’t stay there forever, but I feel this way for a moment.” I found that I could accomplish some necessary tasks that I really did not want to do when I made the tasks into moments. I could clean the bathroom for a moment. I did not have to do everything, but something for a moment. Then I could rest or do something more enjoyable.

In our fear and uncertainty of life, it is living in different moments and accepting that the moment is different but we are still able to maneuver through the moment. It is also learning to linger in moments that are good. To feel the warmth of the sun and actually breathe in the warm air and truly feel the moment. It is being totally present in the moment and not allowing your mind to focus into the future with tasks to accomplish. God gives us moments to feel, to experience and to just be present. God calls us to “be still and know I am God” (Psalm 46:19) in our grief. The busyness and worry of life steal our precious moments. Moments are also filled with memories. On this journey, slow down, remember. Look through photos, read letters, touch the possessions, and journey through your mind of the events. These are treasures of love that will always be with you. Yes, they bring tears but they are also reminders that you walked with your loved one and had moments together. Moments that will never be taken away from you. Moments that have made you who you are today. Moments that will sustain you each day. You will begin to make new memories in these different moments.

God is with us in each moment. When you go too far into the future of worry and fear, take Jesus’ hand and bring yourself back to the present moment.