SAVOR

“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

Today, I am trying to remind myself to SAVOR each moment. I can get so caught up in the goal or whatever it is I am working towards and totally forget to enjoy the journey. I read this quote this morning by writer Jeff Goins (goinswriter.com) that says,

“If we reserve our joy only for the experiences of a lifetime, we may miss the life in the experience.”

I think of the rehearsal process of preparing for a performance. If I were to just skip rehearsals when I felt like it, or just kind of coast through my rehearsals assuming everything will just kind of come together for the performance, yes maybe I’ll be able to pull off the performance, but will it be my best work? Probably not. In ballet, we have to surrender to the daily process of rehearsing.  The performing is just a small part of a ballet career, you know? We have to find a way to not only dig into the process of rehearsing, but to actually ENJOY and SAVOR it because that is where growth happens and that is where preparation for the performance happens, that is where we spend most of our time, and that is where beauty is made! If I just lived for the performances, which I will not deny…they are my favorite part of dancing and I just get giddy thinking about it….but if I just lived for them and just tried to hurry through the rehearsals so I can just get to the performances, I would be miserable. We can so easily slip into that mentality of thinking of the day in and day out of class, rehearsal, ice sore muscles, wake up and do it all again as a bummer. But we are missing where life is. Yes life is in the performances, but it is also in the day in and day out stuff. We don’t want to miss all that God is teaching us and showing us in the more “normal” days. That is where life is.

I compare that to my “real” life as I like to say, of being a wife and a mom. I catch myself thinking about my goals to raise three godly men, but I realize I don’t want to just rush off to that goal, and BOOM! they are all grown up! My oldest son, Camp, thinks this is so funny when I say I’m going to put a brick on his head so he will stop growing up so fast. But I think now I realize, I need to mentally put a brick on MY head so that I will stop RUSHING through the days….I need that weight to help me SLOW DOWN and SAVOR because life is in these daily moments.

I have new appreciate for all my parents did for me and my brothers and sisters growing up now that I have children of my own. Even if you do not have children, I am sure you start to appreciate more and more all that your parents have done for you. Some of you may not have had the support and love of your parents, and if that is the case, I am praying for you today, and I hope that you will catch a glimpse of your heavenly Father’s love for you today. My mom gave me a book (one of many she has given me over the years….most of which inspired me to write and to know the Lord….I could write a book about my mom’s impact and influence on my life….what was I saying) back when I was a young ballet dancer making my way into the ballet world. It is called “Savor this Moment” by Karla Dornacher. It talks about embracing the goodness in everyday life and it is one of those books I keep in a place where I see it often because I find myself needing to go back to it again and again. The dancer/artist in me needs visuals to learn and to remember and this book is colorful and beautiful and just completely brightens my day by it’s vibrant colors and deep message. It helps me get back to the savoring. It is definitely a “curl up in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee by the window” type of book. And when I get back to the savoring, that is where I find God’s strength and God’s peace.

So what do you need to savor today? Yes be excited about what God is up to in the days and months ahead – praise God! But He is here with you in your day RIGHT NOW. Savor the moments of today, slow down, and find the Lord. Hello, I’m saying this to myself today too. For example, today I need to savor:

– the moments when my boys have a question or a story and REALLY tune in and listen

-the few hours I have in the evenings with my sweet husband and to REALLY tune into him, listen to him, and encourage him

-the free moments God blesses me with to spend time with Him, write, pray, and learn about Him

-preparing and eating meals and not just rush through them

-the beauty around me in the sunrise, the flowers, this sanctuary called home

-the invitation of a rocking chair to come sit, be still, and rest

-the moments I think are interruptions and see them as God’s divine appointments

-prayer, remembering I am communicating with God, realizing how real He is…..

All this savoring, this slowing down, what does it accomplish? I think we will be more in tune with God and enjoy life to the fullest. But we need a constant reminder. We have to be intentional about it until it becomes more natural. The world will try to suck you into its fast past….I pray we can resist that pace, and live at God’s pace.

Prayer: “Jesus, you know where and how and what I need to SAVOR. Thank you for waking me up to my need to SAVOR the moments. You answer my prayers for help in anything, and even in this.”

Thank you, Mom for all the books you have given me over the years. They help me grow and savor. They inspire me to write, and I hope my book will one day  be to someone else what the books you gave me were to me: a book that will make someone want to curl up in a comfy chair, and ultimately will leave them encouraged, inspired, changed, and closer to the Lord.  So, thank you.