Life is Precious

As I sit here this morning watching the sunlight slowly brighten the room, I am filled with a calming peace. Early mornings have long been my favorite time of the day. A time when I can relax, pray, read scripture, and prepare for my day in the quiet. There have been some days in the past year when I didn’t move beyond sitting in my comfortable chair, snuggled in pajamas, well into the afternoon.

I look out the front window and watch neighbors racing by at well over the speed limit, hurrying to whatever thing they’re doing today and wonder when everything became so urgent. Why are our schedules so cram-packed with things to do? Why do we feel the need to rush around? Why do we need, or want really, everything right now? When did we forget how to simply enjoy the moment?

Sitting here now I can see the tree branches swaying slightly in the breeze, the leaves doing a little dance as they cling to the branch. The flag on the neighbor’s porch swings at the same pace, the colors and stripes waving at me from across the street. The grass is such a beautiful green contrasted by the deeper green of the bushes and the silvery green of the pine trees. Most days I watch as the cardinals sit on the wire, the male putting on a show for his mate. A butterfly or two often flutter by. When the windows are open, I can hear the swallows singing and the dogs next door playing.

This time, this quiet and peaceful time to just enjoy the gift of another day, has become more and more important to me as I’ve gotten older. I cherish the stillness, the slow pace, the freedom to just sit and fill my heart with God’s word and share with Him whatever is on my mind.

As I was typing this, an old song from Sunday school came to mind and I couldn’t help but stop and sing it. I opened my Bible to the Psalm it was derived from because the first few verses are some of my favorites, they’re not used in the song, but they are always in my heart.

Psalm 19:1-6. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.”

I urge you to slow down. Turn off your television, your radio, your phone, or whatever device distracts you from the silence. Open your window, or sit on your patio. And then listen. Listen to the sounds of God’s beautiful creation all around you…silence is not always silent. Sometimes silence is a beautiful melody within a symphony by the Creator that no human can recreate. And sometimes that silence is just exactly what you need.

Life is so much more than all the rushing around, so much more than the stress we put upon ourselves by trying to fill each minute of our day with some project or activity. If you have to be somewhere, BE there, be present in the moments. See the faces of the people around you, read their expressions, talk to that stranger. Look at the birds, listen to the wind, dance in the rain. Enjoy life in such a way that you can find peace in the majority of your moments. Life is so very precious, and the time you have here on this earth goes by much more quickly than you realize.

Heavenly Father, thank you for each moment of my life. Thank you for teaching me to cherish this gift you’ve given me, and for blessing me with a new sunrise each morning. Lay your hand upon all our lives, open our hearts to your love and our minds to your Word. Fill us with your peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding. Help us to know you, to seek you, and to obey you. Hold our hands and walk us through those dark and scary times we may encounter in our lives and help us to see and enjoy the light and love that you give. Lord, be with us. Show us how to be with you. Take away our fear of silence and help us to hear the symphony you have written. Teach us to slow down and take time with you each day. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.