July 24, 2018
Sarah Jakes Roberts (if you don’t know her she is an amazing woman of God who is super funny and humble..look her up) just posted a new blog and I love it!
She just recently held her first Woman Evolve conference and celebrated her birthday immediately after, so she has had a lot going on. In the midst of all of that, she explained it was hard to appreciate the “now” because even though the atmosphere was joyful and exciting, she felt worried constantly about what was next that she felt she could have missed cherish-able moments.
Whether that be because of anxiety or just going with the motions, whether you’re holding a conference, getting through the work/school week, or just laying back and enjoying the season, we’re all guilty of this.
In her post she wrote, “next will always be waiting for you, but if you aren’t careful, you will miss the treasures buried in now.” I thought that was super powerful because I am the queen of over-thinkers. My mind is always wrapped up in every aspect of every situation instead of enjoying it as a whole and being at peace.
This makes me self-analyze and ask myself: how many blessings have I missed? How many moments of fulfillment and contentment have I not embraced because my mind wandered to things I shouldn’t even worry about?
Her main message is about the mundane moments that we tend to miss when we do that, which aren’t mundane at all in terms of value.
She says,
”I realized that greater than rest what I want is the commitment to not lose what exists in moments of stillness…I don’t want to miss the way my husband studies my face when I’m not paying attention. I don’t want to miss the sun setting after a long day of providing warmth. I don’t want to miss that God has answered and exceeded my prayers. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to have gratitude for knowing and living out my purpose at such a young age. I don’t want to miss that the stretch marks that make me cringe came from the gift of carrying life within me. I don’t want to miss that God has blessed me with friends who’ve become family who create an environment for my children to enjoy so that I can get away.”
When checking out this blog post, I could have skipped over every other part and read this one paragraph and been changed for life. If that doesn’t make you want to sit back and observe and take in every blessing regardless of the size, I’m not sure what will.
There is so much beauty and happiness in today. Personally, the first thing I thought of was how I love to gawk over different places of the world like Greece and Jamaica and just imagine myself there soaking in the beauty of my surroundings that I don’t get to see often.
But what about the beauty that I have become so accustomed to, that I am now blind from recognizing? The way the birds chirp everyday. The way the sun rises and sets from the view of my house. The way I laugh with my friends and just enjoy their company in my car.
Of course it’s not the tropics, but if I live here, I might as well make the best of things and appreciate all blessings, even the small. This trickles over into other things like work, school, family/friends, etc. where I can better appreciate the good as opposed to shifting and parking my focus on the bad. I’ve noticed that sometimes, many times, I’m my own worst enemy. I forget that I can control my thoughts and make sure they’re positive. It’s all about putting in the effort and staying consistent.
Thinking positively and enjoying today won’t happen overnight. I just need to be patient and make sure I’m doing the best I can in enjoying the present day and preparing for what’s next, but not getting consumed by it. Taking things slowly, not putting unrealistic expectations on myself, and taking in every moment.
Everything is a journey. I hope that after reading this, you’re inspired to start the same one in your life.
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