[So… in all fairness you deserve a reminder/warning… Calah was born just over a week ago. Being as such, this post (and likely others to come) may contain baby related revelations. Okay, now that we’ve gotten that disclaimer out of the way, onto this week’s post.]

Have you ever heard of the poem, “Babies Don’t Keep”? It is a poem encouraging mothers to live in the moment with their babies because “babies don’t keep.” And let me tell you I am (already) living that. Its kind of crazy how fast time goes by even when some moments seem they’ll never end. Here a week has passed since Calah was born, life moves on and on and on… and I’ve been reminded that “babies don’t keep.”

It has been said to me several times that I must be looking forward to when the baby will sleep through the night (or at least longer), the older siblings have discussed when she’ll start to talk or eat real food, oh, oh, oh… and when- oh- when will playing peek-a-boo with her be fun?

On the other hand, I’ve heard many people reflect on how fast their babies grew and how they wish they were that small again. Realizing that the moments didn’t last long enough and that they didn’t make the most of the time they had when their babies were small.

We live our lives in this fashion way too often, looking forward to something in the future while longing for the past. Count downs to vacation, statements wishing for time to go faster, desiring to be somewhere we aren’t right now… those are juxtaposed with yearning to be back in time on vacation, with a loved one, to be back at a time when things were “better.” And in the middle we’re often so busy doing that we forget that we are a being and we are meant to be in the moment.

See… it isn’t just babies that “don’t keep.” Moments don’t keep. Opportunities don’t last. Time is always moving on. Ecclesiastes says that life is fleeting, like a vapor… when we are in the moment, this can be all too easy to forget. It isn’t hard to make the most of every moment when those moments include cute newborn babies, beautiful vacation views or true fellowship with friends. But those aren’t the only moments in which we should strive to be fully present. Because… if we really believe that God has a plan and purpose for us… if we really believe that God will work all things for our good… and we know we can’t get a moment back… then we need to live like this moment “won’t keep.”

How would that change how you live?

My friend Greg wrote, “This morning, as I passed a line of cars heading the other direction, waiting for their light to turn green, I began to notice the faces of their drivers. Most were nearly expressionless. Some seemed to have more than driving on their minds, faces betraying the distraction. Other faces were relaxed, even smiling. As the faces I passed numbered into the dozens, I began to think about how each of the people I saw were special.”

But how often do we drive and not notice or think about the people we pass… or we stand in line at the store and do the same thing… the list of times that we are all too oblivious goes on…

But here’s the thing pressing on my mind:

This moment is no accident, the people you encounter today are not there by chance… will you take notice? Will you be fully present with the moments God has given you?

‘Cause the moments we are given “don’t keep” so let’s be fully present and live them with purpose.

~Jillene