We all find ourselves in those times where life seems to suddenly overflow with demands, events, visits, burdens, and celebrations. Whenever we have a quiet moment our mind says, “What to do next?” It’s been one of those seasons for me. But I’ve been working on a new skill lately: being in the moment. Sounds cliché, yes. I used to think it was just for people who were all into those self-help things. “Be in the moment, find your Zen, and connect with the universe.” But then I started to realize something. All my lists, my active submission to these demands on my time and focus, were making me a grumpy mommy, a bad friend, and a discouraging wife.
During my recent pregnancy with Aaron, I was really struggling to find the energy to keep up with my active 2 ½ year old, Davin. I came across a concept about time that gave me new understanding. There are two words for time in the Greek language, Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is about hours and minutes and seconds and the linear measurement of events and not being tardy. Chronos tells you that you haven’t gotten enough done and there aren’t enough minutes for the things left to do!
But Kairos is about the moment. What is happening now? Who is here with me? What are we experiencing? What season of life am I in? Kairos is about the apples being perfectly sweet and tart for picking. Kairos is about the quiet in the afternoon when both your kids are sleeping and you realize that there really is a YOU still living inside of you. And Kairos is looking into the eyes of your frustrated young child and realizing that you are together in this moment and you can either hurry him or connect with him. These are just examples from my life. Experiencing Kairos comes down to trust. What will happen if I don’t check off my to-do list? That is one question. But the other question is: What will I miss if I am too focused on the future to see what God is doing right now?
When we fully live in this moment, we release our worry about the future and entrust it to God. We give him control. When we trust and lean into him, we experience His rest and peace.
Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV) “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Hebrews 4:7, 9-11 (ESV) God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.