Daily Meditation: "Turn Aside"
Saturday, September 5, 2020
SCRIPTURE
“Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’” - Exodus 3:3
REFLECT
This year we will officially have two teenagers in the house. For those of you who have been here since we arrived, do you remember what our boys looked like when they first got here? Do you remember Cooper trying to keep up with Ryan and the rest of the kids at our first Christmas Pageant and doing all the dance moves late and in reverse? They were 8 and 6.
Yesterday, in the blink of an eye, I was sitting in the passenger seat at the Oviedo Mall parking lot teaching Ryan how to drive.
The passage of time is unavoidable. How we fill it is up to each of us. We’re all incredibly busy, stressed, focused on what we have to get done day after day. I know these days of working from home I’m practically living in my closet where I have all of my audio-visual stuff set up, while my boys are spending all day in their rooms on their computers doing virtual school. We all emerge for lunch, dinner, and evening time together, but the fact is we’re all busy doing our own thing all day long and even though we’re all home together, we don’t see each other. Before the pandemic hit there were days when my schedule didn’t permit me to go home for dinner and by the time I got home from evening meetings the boys were in bed and I totally missed the chance to be with them. Those are moments I’ll never get back.
When Time goes by so quickly, such days are a heartbreak and I’m fully aware of it. Now I make sure I walk into the boy’s rooms throughout the day and just say “hi” and tell them I love them. I relish our evening times together, our weekends and hang onto each moment because I realize, all too soon, these times will be gone and so will they.
Like Moses, we need to turn aside and look at the great sights around us, lest we miss them and the passage of time makes it impossible for them to ever come back. There are signs and wonders all about us every moment, and if we aren’t careful and intentional about taking a break from the busyness of our routines and taking in the moment, we might miss the miracle of burning bushes that surround us.
I’m gonna go give the boys a hug, now.
PRAYER
God of Blessing, thank you for the miracles around us each day. Remind us to take a moment to turn aside and relish in them.
Amen.
Peace,
Shawn