When you look at your life, do you view it in respect to the whole, or as a series of significant moments, each contributing to who you are as a person in your current stage of life? Do you ever look back and realize that many of the moments that shaped the course of who you have become were things that you didn’t even find significant at the time? This Sunday, Pastor Sheryl Brady, Christian minister and author of the upcoming book, Don’t Miss the Moments, is on the blog today sharing insights into the moments that shape us, even when we don’t realize that they are. -Lydia
Our lives are actually a collection of moments.
Some moments easily stay ingrained in our memories because of how the affected us. We’re able to say, “It was on this specific day, at this specific time, that I experienced this, and it led me to the following.” Others are more like brief time periods that somehow led you to become a different person. No matter how we experience them, they all matter. And that is why it’s so important to realize that to make sure we don’t miss the moment, we must take time to honor every moment and season we are in.
Even if it feels like you are losing ground, it might just be God pulling you back in order to propel you forward. Suffering under the right perspective is such a gift.
I’ll never forget the day I had to teach this lesson to my daughter Tina. She was eight at the time and had just been chosen to be a part of the local softball all-star team. When she arrived home from school, to her surprise, she noticed a For Sale sign in the front yard of the rental home we were living in. I remember her asking me, “Mom, why is that sign in our front yard? Does it mean we are moving? And if we move, does that mean that I can’t be a part of the team?”
This was certainly a hard place for me. We were moving, and I was going to have to find a way to help her see that life will throw you curveballs when you least expect it, even if you are on the all-star team. As I broke the news to her, tears began to pour down her face. She was so proud to be a part of the team, and now, out of nowhere and because of no fault of her own she was being uprooted.
She ran upstairs, wrapped herself up, and lay down in her bed. I gave her some time before following and sitting down beside her. I began walking her through what it meant to make sacrifices. I talked to her about how often life requires us to lay down, to let go of, or to walk away from things we love. “So,” I said to her, “this is probably not the first and it most definitely will not be the last disappointment that you face in life. But you have two choices: (1) you can view it as a disappointment and become bitter, or (2) you can view it as a sacrifice and through it become better.”
I was trying to help her have proper perspective. I told her that God knew her heart and would always bless her when she made the right choices. Then, in the most profound way, she looked at me and said, “Instead of all these little sacrifices that God keeps asking us for, can’t we just once and for all simply give him our life?” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
So, as you find yourself in a hard place, always know that, though hard places are never comfortable, they are priceless. For without them we would never find him, because God lives in hard places, and he will meet you there.
-Pastor Sheryl Brady
Sheryl Brady serves as the pastor of The Potter’s House of North Dallas. She has been a featured speaker at some of the nation’s largest conferences, including MegaFest, Women Thou Art. Loosed, and the iconic Women of Faith tours. She also holds the distinct honor of being the first and only female speaker at ManPower, the men’s conference hosted by Bishop T.D. Jakes. Pastor Brady is a staple on faith-based television networks, and she has been featured as a columnist for the Washington Post, Fox News, and other nationally recognized publications. Pastor Brady and her husband, Bishop Joby Brady, make their home in Dallas, Texas.
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