Perfect Moments

Per­fect moments sneak up on you when you least expect them. They are sel­dom, if ever, directly cre­ated. They hap­pen while you are doing some­thing else, look­ing another direc­tion, and not expect­ing any­thing unusual. They are tem­po­rary pearls of expe­ri­ence that can­not be grasped, but can be savored — though sel­dom remem­bered in com­plete detail.

For some rea­son they hit me when I step onto an ele­va­tor, walk into a con­cert hall, turn the sanc­tu­ary lights on or off, catch the aroma of a new car, watch a sun­rise or sun­set, or expe­ri­ence any of a thou­sand other every­day events. If I expect them, they do not hap­pen. Quite by sur­prise, they appear dur­ing some of my most mun­dane tasks.

Life is sea­soned by the unex­pected. There is noth­ing as bland as the totally con­trolled. Maybe that is why Jesus pointed us toward small chil­dren. Just about every moment to them is novel. They have a way of see­ing life from cre­atively fresh per­spec­tives. When expec­ta­tions are not set in stone, they are free to live and breathe.

I have no idea where or when today’s per­fect moments will hap­pen. They will be there on cue from the Spirit. I accept them as a spir­i­tual pat on the back. They are bet­ter than any indul­gence and are not tied to my wal­let. No one can take them away. They do not lose their value, nor can they be reg­u­lated by some social or gov­ern­men­tal entity. They are just there. Life is its own reward. You can­not stay in the per­fect moments, but you can savor them and be grateful.

May you have many of them today!