A Dangerous Journey: Moments 

Jason Baziotis

Stories... we all got 'em.

(Yeah I know it was a rip off of Tobymac's "Stories" song, but bear with me here!)

Some of our stories are good stories, some are bad, and some are stories where we overcame the odds and prevailed!  But regardless of what kind of stories we have to share, they all have one thing in common:  a culmination, or a finish.  Stories, by rule, share the details of a journey to an end point, and another term for "details" is moments. 

Our moments usually seem inconsequential at the time, but put together they comprise the stories of our lives.  Now, we all love to share the high points and successes we enjoy, but those would not have been possible without many moments prior to them. 

To illustrate this, I want to use an example I tried to live by when I was single.  Like many single persons, I wanted to meet someone with whom I could share my life, but I had little control over making this happen.  I could go out and talk to people (not a fun task as an introvert, I assure you!), or I could go online and chat (all sorts of inherent difficulties here), but bottom line is I couldn't pull an "I Dream of Jeannie" and just nod my head and POOF, have the love of my life walk in the door!  (I'm not saying I tried this, but I'm not saying I didn't either!)  The only factor I had control over was me, and what I tell people is the biggest fear wasn't that I wouldn't meet someone I could grow in love with... the biggest fear was that I wouldn't be ready when I did. 

In other words, how was I spending my moments before I met "her"?  Was I just waiting idly by, or was I actively preparing myself so I'd be ready to receive "her" when she showed up?  Life is full of opportunities, including personal and professional.  But when those opportunities arrive and present themselves, the only question is have you been preparing yourself for them? 

1 Thessalonians 5:2,4 says "for you know very well the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night... But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief."  We don't know when, whether if by the Lord's coming or by our own death, but we ARE on a collision course to meet our Lord.  How are you preparing yourself for this?  You've accepted Christ as your Savior?  Good!  Now what?  Are you using your moments to continue growing in Him so you can be His hands and feet on earth?  Are you preparing yourself to be ready for the opportunities with which He will bless you?  Are you being an active participant in your life?  Or are you just waiting for His opportunities to knock on your front door and throw themselves at your feet? 

Ultimately, how you use your moments today will determine the moments you'll have tomorrow, but don't get hung up if you make some bad "moment" decisions.  Life isn't about living every moment perfectly, but rather doing our best to make the most out of every moment.