Walking down the street with our church clothes still on, Zoie did not want to be walking. She was lagging behind, dragging her feet, wishing there was a short-cut home. Her sister tried to encourage her by reminding her of the park at the end, and the chocolate cake awaiting her back at home.
Isn't this the mindset of so many of us. Focus on the goal! Just wait till you get to the end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. But what I know, after having the same mindset at times, is that it's not about the goal, but the journey. If we are always focused on the goal, we will miss out on life. We will miss out on joy. But, if we can focus on today, what God is doing in this moment, we will KNOW how blessed we are, we will see Him all around, and we will experience a joy that is amazing!
I paraphrased this to Zoie by asking her what she could find to be happy about in this moment, and a few cracks in the sidewalk later she turned around and said, "I'm with my family!" The park and the cake were still ahead, but now there was skipping, laughter, holding hands, and smiles. Zoie chose to see the joy in the now.
What a wonderful lesson. As someone who is focused on the goal, the end product or solution, so much of the time, this is a very necessary reminder to me. I aspire to live more in the moment and less in the future (or the past). And I am so grateful for friends like you (and your children) who remind & encourage me to do so. Love you, Himes family.
ReplyDelete