Rushing Through Life

"This sunset is just amazing! I wish I had my camera to take a photo of that!"



I wish I had my camera…



How many times have I said those words…? How many beauties have I experienced with that slight annoyance of not having my camera with to take a picture of it, wanting to view it later when I "had time" to explore the details of it…? How many times have I missed out on the true picture that God has been trying to show me…?

We live in a very fast-paced society, I get that, but don't you think that sometimes we get too caught up in it and miss out on what we're actually seeing? Like, we say; "I'll set myself a reminder to look at this later because I don't have time to do it now," or, "I wish I had this to make that last longer so that when I have time, I'll check it out later." Funny how when that "later" comes, low and behold, we're "too busy"… Again.



This thought came to me today while in the car, looking at the sunset and the clouds as I, once again, uttered those words; "I wish I had my camera." I realised, I was so distracted by that thought that I looked at the same cloud over five times, each time thinking it was a new cloud. That's when it hit me. This sunset's purpose wasn't for me to take a photo of, it was just a display of God's might and power, emanating warmth and beauty, all in one powerful, impacting moment and it was there for me to enjoy, to take it in and to fall in love once again with the power of our Heavenly Father. I had to stop worrying about how "unfair" it was that I didn't have my camera and focus more on the intricate detail of the sun's rays on each rise and fall in each individual cloud, the way the dying light cast long shadows in vivid contrast to the brightly lit details of that which wasn't cast in shadow and most importantly, that I was blessed to watch this wonder unfold before my eyes.



See, life isn't about "doing it later" it's about doing it now and doing it with attention and focus. We miss out on so many things because we just want to get it done now, that is, if we can't do it later. It's like, for example, you have 20min to make lunch, but, just because you want to eat now, you make a quick peanut-butter sandwich, regardless of the fact that, if you'd only taken the time to look in the fridge, you'd have found that there were bacon bits from that morning's breakfast, along with cheese and mayo. To think, you just missed out on a bacon, cheese and mayo sandwich, just because you wanted something now… How terrible is that thought?! I cringe at that possibility, and yet, it happens. All the time. Not necessarily that you literally miss out on the deliciousness of bacon on your sandwich, but apply that hypothetically to your life and think about it. How many details of your life have you missed out on because you were too distracted by focusing on the future or by something else? Or you just wanted to get something done now that you didn't stop to look at the possibilities of something much more amazing that God has waiting for you.



So, if none of this has got you thinking, I'll try one more question; Would you rather have a photo of the sunset or the real experience, a peanut-butter sandwich or a bacon, cheese and mayo one? You choose.