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Glenda Simpkins Hoffman
The past week the trees have become ablaze with color. Having been raised in the desert of Nevada, I never cease to be amazed by the wonder of the flowering trees of Virginia and the other signs of new life that present themselves each spring.
On Sunday, my husband and a friend and I made a last-minute decision to go down to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms—an annual trek for us since moving to this area 15 years ago. While the weather was a bit windy and cool, the blossoms were spectacular. I was grateful that we had been spontaneous, which I am not known for being. It was a carpe diem moment as we made time to “‘enjoy the day’ or literally ‘pluck’ (or harvest) the day for all that it had to offer.”
I have been trying to do that more and more. I am grateful for recent opportunities I have had to enjoy time with friends playing games, listening to beautiful music, and taking in artful dancing. And this Saturday evening, I’m looking forward to laughing and enjoying a time with many of you as comedian Robert G. Lee comes to VPC. It’s not too late to seize the day and join us for this delightful evening of fun and fellowship. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Purchase Tickets Here
I am truly grateful for all the goodness that has presented itself to me lately. The truth is, this goodness is all around us all the time, even in the midst of trials and difficulties. We may simply not have our eyes open to recognize it. I’m grateful for God (and others) encouraging me to make the time to embrace this goodness.
I thought of the line by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
The reference is to Moses in Exodus 3. Moses was watching his flock, when “the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses’” And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’”
Our lives are full and busy, and sometimes we are weighed down by concerns. These are not unimportant, but sometimes we lose our focus. Jesus made clear that the first and greatest commandment is this: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
The only way to love and enjoy God and love and enjoy people is to do so in the present moment. On Sunday I shared a quote by Fred Rogers that I continue to think about: “We get so wrapped up in numbers in our society. The most important thing is that we are able to be one-to-one, you and I with each other at the moment. If we can be present to the moment with the person that we happen to be with, that’s what’s important.”
All we really have is the present moment. Learning to practice the presence of God and the presence of people moment by moment is what matters. And there is an infinite variety of ways we can do this with innumerable people. We all have “to do” lists. We all have responsibilities to fulfill, work to accomplish, people to care for in our lives. Work is part of God’s good creation.
The curse is being dragged down by the responsibilities that lead us to forget God and fail to rely on his grace and power. When we let anything (even good things) take the place of God in our lives, we miss unending opportunities for joy.
As I have said before, I have been praying The Serenity Prayer every day, and the line that really is grabbing me lately is this: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time.” It seems to me that is the only way we can live—not in the past, not in the future, but the present moment right here and now. That is the only way we can experience the abundant and eternal life of love, joy, and peace that God has to offer.
This week Pastor Hope will be preaching on Nehemiah 12 as God’s people celebrate and dedicate the wall. Verse 43 says, “They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.”
Did you see that? Five times in one verse joy or rejoicing is mentioned. Why so much rejoicing? “God had made them rejoice with great joy.” God loves us with an infinite love. Our chief end or purpose as human beings is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. God created us in love, saved us by grace in Jesus Christ, and strengthens and sustains us by the power of the Holy Spirit. We belong to God. We have so many reasons to rejoice.
So I say, Carpe diem. Let’s enjoy this day, this moment, this person, this opportunity as a gift from God. May our laughter, our singing, our dancing, our joy resound in our families, neighborhoods, community, and workplaces. May people say of us, “God had made them to rejoice with great joy” because of all God has done and is doing in, and through, and for us.
