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10 Minutes Peace

    by Susan McGrath

Stop, Look, Breathe . . .
Date Posted: February 25, 2006

Every decade has its stop-and-smell-the-roses anthem. (I'm only listing the ones I can remember!)

In the seventies Kansas blew in with "Dust in the Wind", telling us "I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moment's gone."

In the eighties John Cougar (sometimes Mellencamp) introduced us to "Jack and Diane" and admonished us to "hold on to sixteen as long as you can, changes come around real soon make us women and men."

In the nineties Green Day wished us "Good Riddance" or the "Time of Your Life" and reminded us to take the photographs and still frames in our minds.

With the new millennium Five For Fighting bid us pause for a moment while "there's still time", because even if we live "100 Years" it will all go by too fast.

Now, these are not exactly songs I would choose to play for my kids, but they all typify the restless feelings and yearnings of their respective generation.

A more traditional and perhaps well-known tune about the passage of time would be "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof". It observes "Sunrise, sunset . . . quickly flow the days. Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze. . . Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years, one season following another, laden with happiness and tears."

The song is sung by a the mothers of the bride and groom at a wedding and laments how they were just carrying these children yesterday. When did they grow tall and beautiful?

The older we get, the more moments of reflection we have to that effect.

So . . . what does God say about taking time to enjoy life? Does He want us rushing about not even realizing the years are flying by, or does He have more to offer us?

In 1 Timothy 6:17 we are told, ". . . put (your) hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."

In John 10:10 Jesus says, ". . . I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Notice he doesn't say, "I'll save them for the next life, but this life will be dull and miserable" or "Hey, this is more than they deserve and they're lucky to get it!"

God has given us beautiful people and things to make that life full. He has offered salvation and His Spirit to provide comfort and guidance. He sprinkles blessings throughout each day and wants to give us even more if only we would accept it.

When we stop to have time with the Lord we should look around at life as well: The roses and the fast-growing children and our own hopes and dreams.

In the words of eighties icon Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

I, for one, don't want to miss what God has planned for me because I forgot to stop and look around!

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Biography Information:
Susan McGrath is:

a recovering journalist trying to encourage others and glorify God through writing;

living the small-town life with husband Tim and sons Lincoln, 12, and Sawyer, 6;

completing a few put-off writing projects while using chocolate for therapy.