John GrandyCatching Time
Working in ministry, I don’t clock in 9-5 Monday through Friday. Sometimes I work 24-hour-days in foreign places sleeping on church floors. With this schedule, I have learned balance is unrealistic but pace and rhythm are everything.
I’ve learned that after sprinting for three days through my schedule, I have to slow down to catch my breath. I have to intentionally pause ministry when I’m home so I can be present with my family (even if that means losing my phone on purpose). My wife will confirm that I am a work in progress in this area (especially when she feels like my cell phone is my mistress), but I am teachable.
On the journey of life, I am discovering that living in the purpose of the present gives perspective to the pains of the past and the freedom of the future. When I live in the past, my failures transform me into a pessimist and when I live in the future my head gets stuck in the clouds out of touch with reality. Instead, I’m learning to catch time before it is too late or too soon. I’m learning to soak in every moment, especially when I’m home.
For me that looks like taking a blanket outside on the grass to hang out with my son, Noah. Today, while laying under our huge Sycamore, I looked up at the maze of branches. The breeze was walking softly through the timber and the canopy turned down the sun to 70 degrees. It was a perfect moment. There was something breathtaking about this scenic snapshot (until my dog Oakley took a dump ten feet away from us…that was definitely “breathtaking”!).
In this moment I thought about how long it had been since I had laid in the grass and how many snapshots like this I had missed. And then I caught myself…if I let my brain walk down that path, I would miss this moment. Catching time, I simply stepped out of the matrix to be present with my son and there was a richness to the moment that I cannot express in words. It was simply satisfying..a tall drink of cold water for my soul. Today, this was productivity…
