Caught up in the past…

Once or twice a week, my daughter who lives about two hours away from home would call me on her lunch break from work. We would chat for 3-5 minutes, try to catch up and share brief updates on our jobs and life in general.

Each time we hang up, for a moment, I would look back on how we shared our lives in the past together. It was always me and her against all odds. We did not have much but we were always happy.

Recently, after each call, I would feel sad and sensitive because I must remind myself that she can only spare 5 minutes of her time in our calls.

A wise person gave his profound response when I shared these sentiments, “let us flip your statement for a moment and put a different spin on it. Think of how she uses her last 5 minutes of her break. She gives you a call.” I knew he was right. Here I am, too caught up in my own emotions that I forgot the precious time she spends with me. She could have easily looked at her social media for 5 minutes or chatted with a friend but she chose to pick up the phone to call me, to hear my voice, and to listen.

In our busiest moments, how many times in a day or in a week do we chose to spend 5 minutes of our time to praise God? To talk to Him. To appreciate His blessings. Do we spare a moment to think of Him throughout the day?

God appreciates every moment that we spend time with Him. He does not dwell on how long or short our prayers are. He is happy just to hear from us.

For that reason, in Philippians 4:6  Apostle Paul tells us to “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

“Father, help us not to indulge ourselves in re-living moments in our past but to appreciate what you have for us in the present. Bless the people around us who extend their time and effort to hear our voice. May you also, help us to hear Your voice in our hearts so that we may pause for a moment and allow You to come to our lives. It is in Jesus’ name, we pray.”

©fm1 10.19.2021