Be in the moment
Feel this exact moment in time
And in this moment- choose love
Say you’re sitting at a traffic light, and you see a homeless person with a sign. We are usually faced with that reoccurring inner dilemma
Should I help. Should I not help. My wallet is in the back. That guy does not look homeless, why is he asking for money. The time we spend thinking, and the time we spend judging, is just more time convincing ourselves that we should not help.
Don’t think or take a moment to judge, but recognize in that exact moment your ability to choose love and give from all your heart. I don’t just mean monetarily either.
I would have never got to connect with my new friend, “Vodka Dave”, this morning, if I had just drove past him. I waved and called him over and had a lovely conversation with him. I told him I pray for you guys all the time, and he thanked me and said he prayed for me as well. He told me he was a Methodist and I said that we all have our own spiritual path back to our source. Back to God.
I told him that I think our country is going to change under President Trump and all of us will be able to work again. He had rolled his eyes and expressed his disdain for the past president. He told me if that man [Trump] keeps his word, I will have so much respect for him. I agreed with him and told him we were all promised so much and lied to, and our country was turning for the worst. But because Trump is running on a Christian platform, and bringing God back in to our nation, we are going to see things beyond amazing happening.
The light turned green, and I was on my way. But I felt great connecting to my fellow brother in Christ.
I pray often that others may see Christ through me. And I pray that his love flows through me so that I can bring others back to Christ. If we are so busy, busy, busy, and thinking 1000 miles ahead, we aren’t able to live in the present. We aren’t able to recognize where we can truly love from the bottom of our hearts. We aren’t able to recognize that maybe that stranger walking past us is yearning for some love, even a simple smile can work wonders.
Practicing this mindfulness can have amazing effects on your life. I have three boys and life can get pretty chaotic. The house can turn upside down so quickly and is usually filled with yelling and laughter from the boys’ rowdiness. In the past I have yelled out of frustration, but I was always left feeling bad about it.
By practicing this mindfulness and being present in the moment, I am able to recognize all the chaos surrounding me, but I choose in that moment that I will not be frustrated.
I think to myself, “Okay the boys are going wild, but I am not going to react negatively to this. I will stay calm” That two seconds you give yourself changes everything. After that self-reflection, I am able to think hey the dishes can wait, the laundry can wait, what does my child want to show me and how can I show him that I care and love him. What they show me is usually something menial, but to them it is the greatest thing in the world. When your child knows that he can trust you to share in these moments, and not feel that he is a burden on you, is when tremendous things happen. Your family bond gets stronger and stronger. And I always say a strong family unit can conquer the world. But these precious times vanish quickly if we are not being present in the moment.
So try to actively be present. Try not to get caught up in the busy rush of our daily lives. Because when we are in that rush, we are unable to feel God’s love and recognize where we can share that love with others.
Vianca Joy 