Moments

I heard a sermon recently that got me thinking about the state of my mind. Okay, okay they all really do that, but this sermon got my attention for another reason. There is a great quote about how our lives that goes something like this, “You are the same today you’ll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.” I don’t know if that is strictly true, but it got me thinking…

When was the last time I read of book of substance? Not including the Bible, cause that just goes without saying. I am not talking about a romance book, which I don’t read anymore, a self-help book, which I am addicted to, not a fashion magazine, not a cookbook, but a real book about real life and something with substance.

Yeah…years.

For months now, I have felt the need to change that. I started downloading books to my iPad that interested me. And there they have sat…unopened except for maybe the first page or two.

That changed yesterday.

I started reading Stephanie Nielsen’s book Heaven is Here, An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph and Everyday Joy, and only put it down when I absolutely couldn’t put off my Sabbath preparation any longer counting the minutes I would be done so I could get back to it. You know it has to be good in order for me to give up some of my beloved sleep!

I can already tell it has had a profound effect on me. There is something so humbling about a woman that almost lost it all, pulling herself from the edge, all the while giving God all praise.

It has also reinforced in me the wrongness of living life always waiting for the next thing to happen, instead of enjoying the moment. The moments matter. They matter so much.

While trying to appreciate those moments, I am determined to read at least one new book a month. I am hoping to do more, but a girls has to start somewhere.

On the list:

1. Biography of Marquis de Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger

2. Game Change by John Heilman and Mark Halperin

3. The Mine by John A. Heldt

4. Persuasion by Jane Austen

5. to be determined…

I am determined to appreciate the moments. Because not everyone gets them, or appreciates them. And I am determined to appreciate what God has blessed me with…every single moment.