Experience the Moment

This is one I wrote on Wednesday, sorry for the delay :)

This past week I have been with about 29 other college students training to be Summer Missionaries.  We have covered topics from picture 101 to conflict management.  I was able to get to know these students and see the vast array of God given gifts and talents, steadfast courage and mustard seed faith.  My new found friends and brothers and sisters will be serving along with me right here in North Carolina, across the country and across the world.  As I got to encounter this over the past few days I couldn’t help but be inspired and encouraged as I depart for my own summer experience.  I’m finding myself growing anxious but excited.  I feel like God is like the amusement park attendee telling me to “Pull the waist belt tight across your lap, keep all hands, feet and other objects within the car at all times, sit back . . .and enjoy the ride.”

I was reminded of a time today when I told my Campus Minister to just take a moment from all the craziness of her to do list and stop and just experience the moment.  If I recall the situation correctly it was the first night of the new semester and we were having a family dinner.  As we rushed to get everything prepared I realized that our room was filling up, people were having a good time and I saw a sea of new faces.  For our small group we had planned and worked diligently for days to see this happen.  While I too  was trying to make sure everything went off without a bump God told me to simply stop and take in what was going on. 

Too often in my hectic schedule I lose sight of the results of my work.  I work and plan and work and plan all of these things that I feel are important but I find that I don’t take the time to actually see the results of it.  You can plan for everything in life. . . except for the results.  So, as I prepare myself for my next ‘moment’ my hope is that I’m able to not be overwhelmed with my task that I forget to experience  the moment and see the results. 

Please pray for my friends and I as we step into new identities, new positions and new places.  Pray that we have courage and boldness to be firm in our faith and that we are confident in the abilities God has given us.  We need to be reminded that the many forms of evangelism occur through the overflow of our personal relationships with Christ and that we simply need to look for the needs where we are.  Help us to see that our service is about meeting needs (ministering) and it is about the process not about the numbers.  Finally, pray that we are able to experience each and every moment we have with others, for each one is precious.