I hated taking pictures of my sons playing ball. Don’t get me wrong. I loved having pictures. I just didn’t like taking them. For one, I would sometimes get so excited that I wouldn’t pay attention to what I was doing. The photos would be of the ground or my arm or another spectator’s head. This was especially true when I was video taping. But there was another reason.
Sometimes, I would be so caught up in snapping the picture right when the ball passed over the plate and my son swung the bat that I would miss the hit all the way out to center field. By the time my eyes caught up, my son was on second base. Or I would be so determined to get that perfect pitching pose caught on camera, that I would miss the beautiful strike sailing across the plate.
I would miss the moment, the very moment I was trying to capture.
The other day I took out one of those little eye glass wipes. Then, I got distracted by something outside. It wasn’t long, just a brief few seconds. But when I started the job of cleaning my glasses, the wipe had already started to dry out.
I missed the moment, the very moment I had been trying to create.
Every now and then, I come home, and my boys are ready to talk. They start telling me about something, a video game, a youtube video, something their pet did that day. And I am tired, and I “shush” them or nod my head and shuffle off to my room while they are in mid-sentence. And later, I realize.
I missed the moment, a moment that I really did care.
How many moments do we miss? It’s a question that has haunted me over the last six months.
I have been blessed to spend so much time with my children. I didn’t work outside the home until just this past year. I have homeschooled them for many years. I am blessed to say that I have been there for most of their moments. But still, sometimes just being there isn’t enough.
I know that sometimes I was there, but I wasn’t present. Sometimes I was distracted. Sometimes I was discouraged. Sometimes I was distraught.
I missed moments, and now, with one son anyway, I don’t have anymore.
Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”
We can never be perfect at this, but it’s something to remember, something for which we should aim. Make the most of every opportunity…
Every opportunity to smile.
Every opportunity to love.
Every opportunity to listen.
Every opportunity to hug.
Every opportunity to share God’s Word.
Every opportunity to be fully present with those we love.
Every opportunity to be completely immersed in the moment.