Our favorite movies rarely feature moments of calm and serenity. And, if they do, those moments are usually short and fleeting.
The Avengers enjoying some shawarma.
Luke, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO staring at a newly forming galaxy.
The Fellowship eating a meal and practicing their sword fighting on a serene mountainside.
All of these moments are great, but they don’t make for great entertainment.
We don’t want to see the Avengers eating; we want to see them being the earth’s mightiest heroes.
We don’t want to see Luke and Leia watching a galaxy; we want to see them saving the galaxy.
We don’t want to see the Fellowship practicing their sword fighting; we want to see them actually sword fighting.
Real life isn’t like the movies, though; we need to seek out and fully embrace those moments of calm and serenity. Regardless of how busy our lives are, those moments when we can simply be are incredibly important and life giving.
I had a moment like that on Sunday night. I’ve started helping out with the young adult small group at our church. I love sitting in a circle with young people and talking about the Bible; it’s one of my very favorite things. After we finished, though, I still had a 40-minute drive back home. As much as I would have preferred getting home more quickly, that drive turned into my shawarma or galaxy-staring moment.
I love summer nights in southern California. The temperature gets pretty high during the day, but without the oppressive humidity of other states, the nights are usually perfect. Sunday night was no different as I rolled down my window and spent my entire drive listening to music with my arm dancing in the air. During that drive on that summer night, I didn’t have anything else going on. I wasn’t thinking about writing or worrying about Alycia finding a job teaching this fall.
Again, those moments won’t make for a summer blockbuster, but in real life they are vitally important. We all lead busy lives with work, school, family and friends. We probably feel busier today than we did a year ago; that’s just how life works. We can’t allow that busyness, though, to steal those moments of calm and serenity. We’re not trying to win the box office with our lives, so we don’t need nonstop action; we can take a break and find some pause.
For me that means driving with my windows down and listening to my music too loudly. For others that could involve working in the yard, going for a walk or simply sitting outside and feeling the sunshine. God often meets his people in the midst of those quiet moments, so we should embrace them whenever we have a chance.
But, oh, those summer nights.
What moments of calm and serenity do you need to embrace?
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