Everyday Moments Can Be Sacred Moments

Hey Harbor Cov!

In the last few weeks, I’ve had to scroll through my photos on my phone to find some memories for certain things and I learned two things:

Time is such a crazy thing. It can go by sooooooo slowly when you are waiting for something, but it seems to fly by when you look back. And nothing has made me realize this more than being a parent. Look at these nuggets! I remember when I would come home from work, and this is what I would see. So freaking cute!

But I have learned that every stage is a trade-off, and I should embrace them as they come.

In The Newborn Potato Phase,I really disliked that they had the neck strength of a wet noodle and had a tiny dictator control our sleep schedule. But I miss how "stationary" they were. So if you still have a little potato… enjoy it, because in six months, they’ll be a mobile heat-seeking missile headed straight for the one electrical outlet you forgot to cover.

In The Terror Toddler Phase, I was so eager to be done with the 45-minute negotiations over why we cannot wear swim goggles to a funeral or pet the tiger at the zoo. But I miss the mispronunciations so much. Avery used to pronounce “kukabura” like “peanut butter.” Bella called elevators “aligators.” And Ethan called spaghetti “pisketti.”

The Elementary Phasewas filled with relentless, 24/7 interrogation. “Why is the sky blue?” “Why is that a clock?” “Why do I have to wear pants?” Please make it stop! But now, even though I still am smarter than them… at least they used to believe it. Enjoy the God-like status while it lasts, because soon they’ll realize you’re just a person who doesn't actually know how a microwave works and Googles "fourth-grade math" in the bathroom.

Right now, Cari and I find ourselves in TheDon’t Embarrass Me in Front of My Friends with Your Existence Phase of Middle School andThe“Ghosting”Phase of High School. I will do anything to be done with the eye rolls and the little roommates who don’t pay rent, eat all the snacks, and only talk to me when they need money. BUT… I am really trying to enjoy the last few years of forced proximity, sending memes to each other even when we’re sitting on the same couch, and still having a role in their lives to help them grow up into the fabulous young people God has made them.  

Now it is very easy… very easy… to wish to go back to these times. But a wise woman (my mother) once told me: “Never wish your kids older or younger than they are. Just enjoy the time you have with them now.” I have found that really helpful to treat the present moments with them with more intentionality - maybe even with more reverence.

On Sunday, we looked at a story in the Bible where God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on Holy Ground. It was a simple little physical action that helped Moses realize the power of the moment he was currently in.

So that’s my challenge for you this week: embrace the moments you find yourself in as holy ground. Don’t run from the hard moments. Don’t fill the silent moments with noise. Pay attention and ask God what He’s doing.

Try to let everyday moments become sacred moments.