As I was thinking about Shalom and Wholeness this week I was reminded about my need to take time to Savor the gifts and goodness of God.
To savor is to enjoy something completely!
Do I enjoy God’s goodness?
Am I paying attention to the gifts God is giving me each day?
Am I savoring the moments and the gifts along the way?
Sometimes the calendar gets so filled up with activities and responsibilities that I miss the sweetness of God’s love for me.
Sometimes I’m so distracted by the news, or my fear,
that I lose even the desire to taste and see.
I too often forget my need to savor.
In my heart I do know that God is love
And God is good
And God provides gifts for me!
If I’d only open my eyes and take time to see them!
I want to savor the colors I see and really see them!
The greens of the lettuce and the blue of blueberries and the dark purple of good wine.
I want to savor that hug from a friend and the kiss from my spouse.
I want to watch for dragons in the clouds and take the time to smile.
I want to learn how to savor God’s goodness in the glimpse of a deer in the woods
And a good cup of coffee or a fresh cup of tea.
To savor a sunset, a rainbow, a field filled with sunflowers
Or a good piece of chocolate.
Take a chance and savor the goodness of God around you today.
Drop the old packages you are carrying so you can receive and savor the new gifts Jesus has for you!
Buy a piece of good chocolate and taste and see that the Lord is good and has good stuff in store for you and me today, this hour, this moment.
It’s the only day we have to enjoy and savor.
Check out Psalm 34 in The Message
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I think the secret is to live in the moment. Too often we are focused so far ahead that we don’t notice and appreciate the now.Or we are trapped in the golden days of the past. I commit my future responsibilities to my diary. Once they are written down I can forget about them until their time comes. That gives me the freedom to focus on this moment and notice the little special things God arranges to enrich my life and to marvel at the intricate arrangements He makes to bring blessing to others through me.
Yesterday I was scheduled to work in Bath, UK. Normally it would be a straightforward train journey from A to B. Yesterday morning a bus hit a bridge. It meant our train had to take a detour. We had to change trains and approach Bath from Bristol. On this second journey I was seated with a beautiful young woman who has recently graduated as a Fire Engineer. I had in my backpack a recently acquired book about the 7/11 Twin Towers event by a fireman named Picciotti. At the time I didn’t know why I bought it at a recent fundraising event, because I wasn’t that interested in the Twin Towers. She had heard of it, wanted it, but never had a chance to read it. Obviously God put it in my hands to get it to her. We didn’t exchange names and I shall probably never see her again – but I have a feeling that a lot will pivot on that interaction that will affect many things in the future.
A thing that saddened me was that 343 firefighters died because of the Twin Towers fire. This has deprived thousands of people of spouses, parents, children, friends and colleagues. Appalling collateral damage if this was a setup, as has been postulated because a third skyscraper collapsed without any assistance from an aeroplane.
Although we didn’t discuss faith, I am sure this young woman is God’s child because she has that gentle and quiet spirit that Peter praises so highly. God’s ability and willingness to provide not only what we need, but also what we desire, never fails to astound me. It is a great privilege to be part of His system for accomplishing this AND to be aware of it – moments to savour.