“For everything there
is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
On the day that I had been dreading for months—the morning
that our oldest son was to leave for college—I awoke with a sad, heavy heart. I didn't want to get out of bed and face the heartache and permanency of the day;
it would mark a huge shift in our family, and life at home would never be the
same. But as only God can orchestrate, my alarm went off at that moment, and
the song “Miracle of the Moment” began to play. I had never heard it before,
but the lyrics were striking and convicting. It spoke to my spirit as if God Himself
were singing to me, reminding me that there are seasons in life, and this is
the season for “letting go”. “We don’t have a time machine…and even if we did,
would we really want to use it?” As a mother, my reaction was, “No, of course
not…I do want him to grow into the man that God wants him to be. It's time for
him to leave the nest.” As a cancer patient, however, it’s harder to chain my gut
reaction of, “YES! Let’s go back and change everything and NOT have cancer!”
But when I truly reflect on all that has transpired since my diagnosis, on the personal and spiritual growth that our family has encountered and the truly wonderful events
that have happened despite three and a half years of transplants
and treatments, I am not so quick to wish it all away. One of the greatest
lessons I have learned is to appreciate every moment in life. Besides, as
Steven Curtis Chapman sings, there is really nothing that I or anybody else can
do about the past. “We are who and where and what we are for now, and this is
the only moment we can do anything about.” It’s no use pining for the past;
what’s happened is history. Life marches onward; life is hard; life is full
of struggles. We have no control over time except this moment, right now. Chapman’s advice is to “breathe it in,
breathe it out, and listen to your heartbeat” so that we discover the wonder in
the here and now. It IS there—right in front of us! We can find a miracle in
every moment if we look for it. Besides, “there’s only One who knows what’s
really out there waiting” and we should leave our anxieties about the future up
to Him. Most comforting is the reality that "HE is out there waiting” –we
never need to go through life alone, and in His great love for us, “He has given us a treasure
called right now”.
Miracle of the Moment
by Steven Curtis Chapman
It's
time for letting go
All of our "if onlies"
Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it
Would we really want to go change everything
Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
There's only One who knows
What's really out there waiting
And all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history
And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
Let them soften your heart
And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go
Let it go, yeah
You gotta let it go
And listen to your heartbeat
And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
All of our "if onlies"
Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it
Would we really want to go change everything
Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
There's only One who knows
What's really out there waiting
And all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history
And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
Let them soften your heart
And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go
Let it go, yeah
You gotta let it go
And listen to your heartbeat
And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
Thank You, Lord, for this treasure that we
call Today. We don’t know what the future will bring, but You do. We only need
to keep our eyes on You, to trust in You, and to rest in Your presence. We can face all challenges in the future with Your strength and Your promise to carry us. Bring
peace to those in anxiety, comfort to those who mourn, and joy to those who
weep. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
