"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkeness, but will have the light of life.' "
John 8:12
I think pretty much everyone has watched a sunset. While in Romania I've seen some pretty beautiful ones. A few days ago I was feeling like I had a lot of boxed up energy and was frustrated with some things so I decided to go for a little walk/run to help get it out. It ended up being pretty short because the sun began to set as I was walking.
I found a place beside the road to stop and watch. Imagine the sun so big and a gorgeous deep pink, setting over fields as far as the eye can see. That's a taste of what it looked like.
I was praying about some things and struggling with how to handle some situations. Things like watching the sunset help calm my spirit. Something happened as I was sitting there and thinking and praying. The sun kept setting…pretty quickly. I guess it always does that, but people like me who are easily distracted and look away for a minute end up missing out on some of the beauty. I would look away for 30 seconds or so and then look back again only to see that more of the sun was gone. I missed a piece of it. I missed out on that unique moment of beauty that will never come back again.
One amazing sunset (not the one I'm blogging about) 🙂
Sunsets are never exactly the same. The Father paints a new one eery evening.
Before I knew it the sun was gone. Sure, I'll probably have the opportunity to watch many more sunsets but not that one.
It kind of hit me sitting there thinking about these things. This experience, these places, these people I'm with aren't going to be here forever. Tomorrow will be different than today. Opportunities come and go, but the same ones don't always present themselves again.
I feel like the Lord reminded me that I need to be seeking out conversations with people, real conversations that go beyond the weather and FB statuses. I need to be serving my team and squadmates and pouring into them. I need to be learning all that I can from each and every one of them. I need to be taking advantage of every opportunity I'm given. I don't want to miss something beautiful because I'm distracted. A story, a moment, an opportunity to develop a friendship or be a blessing are all beautiful things that can be missed in an instant if we're not careful.
The same sunset as before. The view is towards the dairy farm beside the Noble House where we are staying at Caminul Felix
The Lord is continuing to remind me and challenge me with the things.
Soo…
Soak up the beauty. Pay attention and take advantage of every opportunity that you're given. They will never be exactly the same the second time around. They may not ever come back again at all. Savor every moment of life. It's a gift. Use responsibly.
