(Link to the audio version.)

Sometimes, life can get so big that your moments are unnoticeable. I’m not going to talk about how busy we are because that is a given, and somehow, we say it so much it has become our mantra. When we have various roles, and maybe some of those roles have become confusing, or you wonder about how you show up and how others influence the outcomes, your mind becomes increasingly complex, with reasoning and actions becoming more controlling.

What if you look for the moments in the moment? During my prayer time, God spoke to my heart about a colleague and told my heart and mind to look for moments in the moment. Her enthusiasm to create a home in her retired years encompassing her joys and passions and to have a space for her grandchildren to play and sleep was so unique and enthralling. The moment was when I showed up at her house to travel 3 1/2 hours away for a division meeting and then spend the night and complete other meetings while in the hotel. A busy, long adventure. The moment inside of the moment was her influence on my life. I’m not just talking about a new furniture piece from a local department store, but well-thought-out items from her childhood, trips, or antique shops. Every piece told a story, and her stories filled my mind and heart. Her influence began to take hold of my heart as we often traveled to this division, and I frequently met her at her home. The influence made me want to notice the treasures and blessings in my home and celebrate our home. How can we create a space of love and peace? As often as I encounter these moments, I tend to compare and get frustrated. Not this time. God gave me the moment and filled me with His love and guiding hands.

My blog is filled with moments that I’ve written about. Sometimes, the heart changes in a new season. Or it is the same guiding principle from God but used differently to complete the story.

I’ll speak to another moment that was unique and beautiful. After a long day of meetings, a friend and I took flowers and gifts to surprise a friend who had just completed her doctoral capstone. She invited us to her screened-in porch to sit, and the day’s excitement and her need to leave soon to go to a celebration created a good, nervous energy. As I rocked in her chair and listened to the conversations and laughter, my heart and body began to relax. It was a moment of recognizing the joy of friendship and togetherness. God, again, guided my mind to see the moment in the moment. This, Anna, is what is most important.

A friend says Goodbye to her mother at her celebration of life, and her words are spoken in the goodbye.

A friend’s voice to just say hello, a text message with a baby wrapped in a crochet blanket, a smile, a touch, or a rock with a message written by your mom at the gas station.

I’m amazed at God’s handiwork, His constant presence, and the love of family and friends. I don’t take those things for granted. Yet, if we look really close, so close to a moment, God will show us the deeper still.

I told my friend with tears about her home and how she influenced me to open my eyes to the love and beauty of my home. I told her, “It’s like a moment in a moment. Do you understand what I mean?” She smiled and said, “Yes.”

Fast forward to Saturday, April 27, and I’m working in my yard with earbuds and Mandisa’s funeral. Glory! What a celebration of life. Much to my surprise, God gave me a moment in a moment when Beth Moore, one of my favorite teachers of God’s Word, seriously said, “It is like the moment in a moment.” I laughed and shouted, “No way, God!” God knew this moment would come, and He prepared my heart. I listened as Beth described her meaning and mentioned Mandisa’s song “God Speaking.”

Mandisa’s celebration of life lasted four hours. I had the time, and I soaked it all in. At one moment, I was in my driveway, and we were worshiping with an old familiar hymn.

I stopped to view the flowers at the end of my driveway and had a memory of my dad being wheeled out to the ambulance for the last time. I raced out of my house to pray for him and said, “You’ll get through this, Dad. I know you will. You’ll come home.” He came home in hospice and died in the early morning of the next day in my mom’s arms in their bed for over 65 years. My moment in the moment was God saying to my heart to deal with this grief, this angst of feeling guilt that I could not somehow fix it and heal him. What could I have done better to care for him? As I turned up the walkway, I felt a sense of peace, my dad’s comfort, and laughter–“Okay, Mandisa, go tell my daddy how much I love him.” I don’t know Mandisa on a personal level. I know her from worshipping and singing her songs through the years. Her celebration of life was also about unity. Being unified in God’s love. So, I’m amazed at God’s work in my little town, from a celebration of a woman I never knew personally. Moments in a moment.

Below are some discussion questions if you are interested in discussing them with others. Feel free to select one or two and write to me in the comments.

1. How do you interpret the phrase “moments in the moment”? Can you share a personal experience where you found a significant moment within a seemingly ordinary one?

2. The text emphasizes the power of God’s guidance in recognizing the beauty and significance of everyday moments. How do you relate to or differ from this perspective in your own life experiences?

3. The influence of a friend’s home and the stories behind each item is a pivotal moment in the narrative. Have you ever been inspired by someone else’s space or life in a way that changed your own outlook or actions? Share your story.

4. The narrative mentions the impact of receiving a message from God during prayer. How do you think prayer or meditation contributes to our ability to see and appreciate the deeper moments in life?

5. Discuss the role of community and relationships as highlighted by the surprise visit to a friend who had just completed her doctoral capstone. Why do you think such moments are vital to our sense of connection and well-being?

6. The story touches on dealing with grief and finding peace in difficult moments. How can recognizing “moments within moments” help us cope with loss and find closure?

7. The narrative concludes with a profound sense of unity and love during a celebration of life. How can shared experiences, even in grief, bring people closer together and foster a sense of community?

8. The idea of looking closely to see God’s deeper messages in our lives is a recurring theme. How can this practice change our daily perspective and interactions with others?

9. The text also suggests a sense of preparedness and divine timing (“God knew this moment would come”). How does the concept of divine intervention play a role in your understanding of life’s moments?

10. Reflecting on the various stories and lessons shared, how might you apply the idea of finding “moments in the moment” in your daily life to enhance your appreciation of the present?