measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you
measure a year in the life?
Yet another set of song lyrics that speak to my heart. What is going to be the measure of this year? Is it going to be yet another year of working and earning a paycheck? Another year of searching for that one thing that will make life complete? Another year spent wondering about the direction God has for my life?
Today marks the 209th day of the year 2013. Of the 525,600 minutes in the year, today we have gone through over 300,000 minutes. This year is going to by far outweigh all of the rest. I can't compare the sunrises I have experienced here to any others before. There is a peace and beauty seen here that I don't find when encumbered by the busyness of home. Each morning I am greeted by a chorus of birds. I don't know what kind they are but they do sing sweetly. Kenyan sunsets are just as beautiful as the sunsets at home. For those of you that know me best, you know how very much I love to watch the sunset paint a colorful palette of reds, oranges, and yellows that fade into a deep bluish purple sky that becomes filled with twinkling stars. Midnights... There are some midnights that will be burned into my memory for as long as I am able to remember. Nights filled with laughter and tears and endless conversations.Cups of coffee... Well there are more memories tied up in cups of coffee and conversations than I care to think about at this time. Miles... around 9,000 miles traveled to get to this adventure of my lifetime. Laughter...Giggling adults laughing until the tears are rolling down our faces about random movie quotes... Laughing because you are so tired that everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING even breathing, is funny.... Telling ridiculous jokes and making yourself laugh... For example: Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don't work... Laughing with children... A mission trip isn't a mission trip without some laughter along the way. Laughter through tears, laughter that results in tears, tears that resolve into laughter... No matter how you look at it, laughter shapes our day moment by moment. Strife... yeah I guess you would have to say that there has been some strife this year. Nothing unbearable, but certainly life changing.
Each day you have 1,440 minutes to spend. You spend about 480 of those minutes sleeping. That leaves you 960 minutes a day to make an impact. What are you doing with those minutes? My minutes are being spent teaching children, cooking in a large kitchen, getting to know a most wonderful man better every day, and loving on some very precious children. Every minute is a chance to minister to someone somewhere. You only have to be willing to stop rushing from minute to minute and stop to cherish the minute you are experiencing. God didn't create things like sunrises, sunsets, stars, babies, or any other number of things for us to rush past them without giving them notice. Noticing takes time. It is just that plain and simple. You can't notice something without taking time to see the small details. Intricate details that would escape you if you glanced too quickly. God is truly showing me the importance of each minute. 89 children at the orphanage... 300 children at the school... Each and every one of them deserves to be noticed, deserves to be heard. That can't be accomplished rushing through the minutes I have each day. Getting to know that special guy in my life can't be accomplished rushing through our time together either.
Today I challenge you to take a long hard look at how you are spending your minutes. Make the most of the minutes that you have. You can't get them back once they are gone. You can't reclaim the memories that might have been made had you taken the chance to simply stop and observe what is going on around you. Cherish them! Make them count! Find ways to serve others before yourself! Find ways to be Jesus with skin on to someone who needs it desperately. Look for opportunities to be the church to everyone, everywhere. You don't know when that will be a life changing encounter for someone else. Find a way to make someone else smile. It isn't hard. Just be willing to step out of your comfort zone and be amazed at the things that God will show you. I know that I have been in the last few days here in Kenya.
Making memories of a lifetime and loving every minute of the journey!
Until next time!
Love you all!
Melody
Each day you have 1,440 minutes to spend. You spend about 480 of those minutes sleeping. That leaves you 960 minutes a day to make an impact. What are you doing with those minutes? My minutes are being spent teaching children, cooking in a large kitchen, getting to know a most wonderful man better every day, and loving on some very precious children. Every minute is a chance to minister to someone somewhere. You only have to be willing to stop rushing from minute to minute and stop to cherish the minute you are experiencing. God didn't create things like sunrises, sunsets, stars, babies, or any other number of things for us to rush past them without giving them notice. Noticing takes time. It is just that plain and simple. You can't notice something without taking time to see the small details. Intricate details that would escape you if you glanced too quickly. God is truly showing me the importance of each minute. 89 children at the orphanage... 300 children at the school... Each and every one of them deserves to be noticed, deserves to be heard. That can't be accomplished rushing through the minutes I have each day. Getting to know that special guy in my life can't be accomplished rushing through our time together either.
Today I challenge you to take a long hard look at how you are spending your minutes. Make the most of the minutes that you have. You can't get them back once they are gone. You can't reclaim the memories that might have been made had you taken the chance to simply stop and observe what is going on around you. Cherish them! Make them count! Find ways to serve others before yourself! Find ways to be Jesus with skin on to someone who needs it desperately. Look for opportunities to be the church to everyone, everywhere. You don't know when that will be a life changing encounter for someone else. Find a way to make someone else smile. It isn't hard. Just be willing to step out of your comfort zone and be amazed at the things that God will show you. I know that I have been in the last few days here in Kenya.
Making memories of a lifetime and loving every minute of the journey!
Until next time!
Love you all!
Melody
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