A lesson from a remembered moment

        When we turned the page on our photo calendar, here was the picture for July...with yet another reminder of God's faithfulness in this often crazy, mixed-up world.

        This moment is seared in my memory.  Preyer staring out at the magnificent Pacific Ocean in the middle of a golf tournament...and me, all wound up tight with nerves and thinking, "Oh no!  He's hit the ball off the cliff into the ocean!"  Disaster...despair...horror..."the kingdom is lost!"
         Yeah, right.  This is a game, remember?
         I called over to him, steeling myself for the terrible news and preparing to help him look for his ball (which, naturally, would be an absolute cinch to find in the middle of the Pacific Ocean).
         His response: "I'm just enjoying the beauty of God's creation."  The ball wasn't lost...just my perspective.
        And my son?  He schooled his mama that day.  He might not have been playing his best, but he was enjoying the present moment, appreciating the glory all around him, and contemplating the Author, Giver and Sustainer of all that glory.
        Oh Father, how many moments have I wasted in worry?  How many times have I missed the gift of the never-to-repeated "precious present?"  How often have I missed an opportunity to worship my Savior and Redeemer in the everyday mundane moments of life, because I've been too preoccupied or distracted by the "cares of life?"  And how many opportunities have I forfeited to truly savor and enjoy the people that I love...again because of busyness or tiredness or fearfulness?
         Forgive Your forgetful child, Abba.  And thank You for Your glorious grace and tender mercies that are indeed, "new every morning." (Lam.3:23)
         "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17)
          In other words--it's ALL from our Father!  The gift of the present moment.  The glory of every single created thing not only on the earth but in the heavens.  And the joy and astounding wonder that the Creator, Giver, and Sustainer of every single bit of it, is our God.  Our Savior.  And He lives within us--His Holy Spirit guiding, teaching, directing, reminding (oh boy, do I need that one!), convicting, encouraging, equipping, empowering...and doing it all to the glory of the Son.
         Thank You, Father, thank You.  Might we live this day, this very moment, savoring the gifts You have given us, seeing the Savior behind every one of those gifts, and seeking to glorify You in every one of those moments--whether mundane or momentous, peaceful or stressful.
         We choose this day to worship You rather than worry.  For You are infinitely and eternally worthy.
         To God be the glory.