Moments

A moment is something that comes out of nowhere and it’s only there for a very brief amount of time and then it’s gone.

There are some moments that you never forget. Moments that change you, inspire you, and give you a taste of the fullness of joy and life. The night my dad prayed with me when I was in the third grade as I asked Jesus to come into my life. The night I sat on a hillside in Jamaica with tears in my eyes and told God I’d follow His leading in my life and go into full time ministry. When Erin walked through the doors of the sanctuary with her father on our wedding day. These are moments that put you in a place of awe, they make your heart beat faster, and they reassure you that life is so much bigger and beautiful than you could ever imagine.

This morning I had one of those moments that completely steal your heart and you wish you could live there for just a moment longer. Erin and I went to the orphanage to work on a painting project with the kids and before we got to painting we watched the kids dance, listened to them sing, and then we went outside to play. My little buddy Jonathan ran up to me and I quickly scooped him up into my arms. Jonathan and I have hung out a lot over these last seven months. He is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. He doesn’t talk a lot, but through his eyes and his gentle spirit, he has preached to me the most powerful sermons I have ever heard. Today he just wanted to cuddle and laugh. So I started making funny noises and he was playing with my face and then I pretended to drop him and caught him on the way down. He exploded into laughter and I just kept doing it.

What made it such a special moment was that when I would catch him he would give one of those deep belly laughs that you know is coming from the very core of who he is. His laugh was so funny to me that it brought out one of those same belly laughs in me. It was a moment of pure, genuine joy that he and I got to share together.

When moments like these happen, enjoy them completely. When the moment is gone, remember it with a smile and thank God for it. Then keep loving and letting others love you because more of these moments are on the way.