Making Memories

If I spend a lot of time thinking about my life I can list a lot of regrets I have, but this mission journey has repeatedly pointed out the same regret - I spent too much of my life living on a promised tomorrow and worrying about perfection of things for today.  I have worried too much about things looking perfect, being just so, and doing all that it took to be sure that I thought everyone was happy.  Along the way I forgot to stop and make some memories.

Now don't get me wrong - I have a bunch of wonderful memories, but I also have a bunch of stuff that I could have done without and made more memories instead.  I have spent too much of my life striving for perfection at the expense of missing out on relationships and new friends.  I have lived with the mentality that tomorrow I will stop and do "that."  It took beginning to walk this mission journey to let go of the promise of tomorrow and to start living today like it could be the last one spent with the friends and family that are nearby. 

We do not know our time frame for arriving in Spain and I find myself wanting to stop and spend a few extra minutes with people instead of things, just in case this is our last Christmas, New Years, Groundhog Day, snow season, ...  Hannah has requested "one more of everything."  In other words, she wants one full year before we leave for Spain.  I heard myself saying to her that we aren't promised tomorrow so be sure you live today as if it was your last day here.  Later I realized I should heed my own advice.

God does not promise us tomorrow.  In fact, in James it is called sin to so confident in tomorrow that we boast of it.  James 4:13-16  "Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. " 

This Christmas season I pray that people have seen a difference in me.  Things are little simpler at my house - not quite so many decorations, a lot fewer gifts, a huge reduction in baking (sorry to those who usually get a tray of tretas), and a lot less stress.  I pray that through this season I have instead spent time in relationships instead of things. 

We will be in Michigan in January and this has caused a lot of reminiscing about the years we spent living in Michigan.  We have been telling the kids stories after stories and then we stopped and wondered why we had so many great memories and no contact with anyone from there.  So we have had a great time looking up and reconnecting wtih people from Michigan.  Scrolling through facebook pages and seeeing faces that we haven't talked to or thought of in years and with each face sharing new stories.  We cannot wait to actually see a few of these friends face to face while we are there. 

When the day comes that we step on that airplane and are headed for Spain we will be able to take very few things - but I intend for my heart to be bursting with memories.  I pray that I never lose sight again of the fact that we are not promised tomorrow and that I grab every  moment of life for things that are lasting - relationships here on earth and in eternity.