Savoring Each Moment
I love making New Year’s Resolutions. Ever since my mom first introduced me to the concept as an eight-year-old girl, I have continued to create goals for my year. Ever since my senior year of high-school, I’ve also been picking a word of the year. I don’t remember where I first heard of the concept, but I loved the idea of having a focus for my year. I posted last year about the word I picked for 2022 which was peace. This year, as I prayed about what God wanted me to focus on, the word savor came to mind.
When I think of savoring something, I think of a really good bite of chocolate melting in my mouth, or a really tender, juicy bite of steak, or a fancy pasta dish that hits the spot. Yeah, I tend to associate savoring with food. So, it felt like a little bit of an odd word for my word of the year. But then when I think about it, savor really encompasses what I desire—I desire to taste and see that the Lord is good, to relish in each moment with the Lord, to be fully present with Him and with each moment of my day rather than focusing too much on the future. All of those things are required for savoring food, and for savoring time.
Here are 3 things I want to implement this year as I think about savoring each moment:
1: Sit at Jesus’ feet.
She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:39-42 (NASB)
This story of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet is so convicting for me. I can be rather Martha-like; I can get busy doing things for God that I neglect spending time with God. I get caught up trying to do things in my own strength instead of going to my Source of strength. I want to prioritize my time with the Lord, not as something to check off my to-do list, but to savor the time in His Word and in prayer, regardless of whether I get everything else done I planned for my day.
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8
It is in God’s presence we find joy, delight, and goodness. But we cannot experience those things if we are not actually tasting and seeing who God is. May our priority always be Jesus over everything!
2: Seek God’s kingdom instead of worrying.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34
I have a habit of worrying about the future. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I have to be on guard against spiraling thoughts that sneak into my mind, often worries I have about the future. The thing with these intrusive thoughts is, we have to replace them with something else. To leave the negative headspace, we need to focus our thoughts on something else, something better. Jesus calls us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” We can replace our worries about the future with a focus on God’s kingdom for today. How can I serve God today? How can I choose joy for myself and bring joy to others today? This is not a one-time switch in thinking; it takes practice (and trust me, I’m not very good at this yet!). It’s choosing to be present in this moment, serving God in the right now, because we can’t serve God in any other space than the present.
3: Be present with others.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; Romans 12:10
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
Have you ever experienced trying to spend time with a friend who is on their phone the whole time? They are present physically, but emotionally and mentally they are checked-out. It hurts to feel like you aren’t important enough for them to put their phone away. Unfortunately, I have also been that friend who was not present with those around me. And I want to change that. Just as God is fully present when we seek Him and cry out to Him (Ps. 116:1; Jer. 29:13), I want to practice being present with those around me, whether that means setting my phone aside or taking a moment to pray and surrender my distracted thoughts to God. Christ gave His all out of love for us, and He calls us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34-35).
My prayer this year is that I will savor my time, enjoying each moment that God has gifted me with Himself and others, and that I will live with a kingdom mindset. Whatever your New Year’s goals are, I pray that you will continue to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Pet. 3:18).
With love,
Kelsey
