In the Moment

IN THE MOMENT

Out of options. Out of money. Out of friends. She didn’t have theology, she didn’t have doctrine, she didn’t have spiritual disciplines. All she had was a belief that Jesus was all she needed. So, in one perfect, precise, fully present, fully aware moment, she reached out and touched the edge of his robe and was healed. (Luke 8:44)

An unnamed woman with a hemorrhage. She sensed what the scholars of scripture and the religious elites missed - this Jesus would fulfill the promises of God. Their intense study kept them from seeing God standing before them in the flesh.

Intellect doesn’t lay hold of Jesus. Reaching in desperation does. Recognizing him in the moment and staying present with him.

My friend Tracey Keller is a wellness guru to many and she encourages her clients to be aware of the present moment - whether it’s good or bad – to feel it, acknowledge it, and most of all to not miss it. Tracey exhorts us to just “be in it”. Don’t be seduced to skip over the “now” by escaping into the past or fantasizing about the future. Face the moment however scary or painful it might be. Stay put, don’t run – even in your head.

I’m learning that staying in the moment with God keeps me grounded during times of chaos and grim headlines. Staying present with the Godhead is what allows me to delight in the hot pink blooms of a bougainvillea and the rich green new growth of ferns, to be charmed by the soft coos of doves, to savor the breeze. I sense the Holy Spirit urging me, “Stay here, don’t miss this, don’t race ahead. I’m in this moment.” 

As Graham Cooke says, “God is not practicing social distancing from us.”

I think of the bleeding woman who did not let crowds or cultural taboos or her past disappointments or her fear of the future eclipse the present moment. HER moment with Jesus. She remained in it, reached out, and drew from him. We can, too. The invitation is there every day. Every moment.

He is present.

He is now.

~Debora Daniels Albrecht