Never again will I attend another dance party in Panama…Never again will go waterfall repelling in Costa Rica…Never again will I ride on a plastic chair in the back of the truck in Nicaragua…Never again will I lay on a twister mat in Honduras star gazing and fall asleep to wake up with marshmallows on my face…Never again will I sit at mama spicy’s for hours on end to get internet in Malaysia…Never again will I pet tigers in Thailand…Never again will I enjoy freshly baked keish in Laos…Never again will I see the sunset at ankor wat in Cambodia…Never again will I get view the magnificent sunsets in Swaziland.
Never again will I be on the van with the same 21 people in Swaziland…Never again will I have the same tuk tuk driver in Cambodia…Never again will I get smoothies from Missy at pizza boy in Laos…Never again will I get Thai tea from Aw in Thailand…Never again will I eat Sujeta’s Indian breakfast in Malaysia…Never again will I buy fireworks from the family running the corner store in Honduras…Never again will I preach to the same crowd of people in Nicaragua…Never again will I play with the same kids after lunch in Costa Rica…Never again will I ride the bus with Juliana in Panama.
I know the saying never say never, but there are many things I will never do again! But these lists are two completely different lists. The first list is full of events that will never happen again, while the second is full of people I will probably never see again. It’s sad to think these were one time events or most the people I only saw once or maybe for a whole month.
Today I was thinking about the fact that that very moment would never occur again. I was sitting on the van with 16 other people in Swaziland with groceries to take home and that would never occur again. Yes, we will have to grocery shop again next week, but there will be different people on the van. Was I taking advantage of that moment? Did I love on the people around me? Was I pleasant? Did people see Jesus in me? These were all thoughts that ran through my mind today. Normally, I think that I don’t like the speed bumps (especially sitting in the back), that it’s too hot, that we have to wait so long before we leave or that the music is too loud. Looks like my normal thoughts need an overhaul to become Kingdom minded!
So many times we live for the moment and our thoughts show it. I posted pics and told stories about the exhilarating fear of waterfall repelling. But did I tell you about my guide who has 2 kids and loves what he does and does it for fun because he has a successful business? Yes, waterfall repelling was amazing, but that relationship is more important than the experience! This is not something I realized at the time of waterfall repelling, but I’m thankful to have the realization now.
So instead of living for the moments, live for the people in the moments! Enjoy making memories during vacation, but make the waitress and the hotel staff part of the moment by loving on them and getting to know them. In the moments of your day take time to call the cashier by name and have a conversation with them. Be intentional with the people you pass by, smile and say hello. I might not remember each name, but I hope they felt loved and appreciated after they meet me.
