We May Never Pass This Way Again

We were just finishing a lovely dinner at Dandelion Café, in Durango, Colorado. The Mediterranean fare and live music made for such a glorious evening. Everything changed in what seemed like a quick New York minute. The rain came with a gusto and soon all of us outdoor customers were scrambling.

My always-prepared mountain man pulled out two jackets from his backpack. However, the rain was coming down so hard that it only helped a tad. We crossed a few blocks and finally found a tattoo store that had a nice little red brick porch tucked in from the rain. Ben, Chara and I huddled close, watching the sideways rain and people running ever-which-a-ways.

Those next thirty minutes at first felt inconvenient. I soon remember thinking to myself “This is so special.” Making memories at a closed tattoo shop in Durango, Colorado. Soon, the rain stopped, sun came out and off we went back to the condo.

I couldn't help but think of the old song by Seals and Croft “We May Never Pass this Way Again." I remember loving that song in high school and I honestly can’t tell you where all the years have gone. Life. Is. So. Precious.

Vacations are good times to slow down and remember the gift of life itself. Unscheduled. Free. Silly. Goofy. Unfettered. It’s a time to savor the gift of life. Each day is a gift from God. It’s a time to reflect and celebrate the special, unplanned moments and laugh like crazy. It’s a time to pause and give thanks for the memories being created.

Today, I thank God for the gift of life. I want to savor the joy of taking a bike ride, going fishing, hiking for hours, laughing with friends, being with family and huddling in rainstorms. I want to see God all around me…. in conversations, in activity, in silence, in rest. Everything that comes through my day is worth savoring. God is near. 

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

“I shall pass through this life but once. Any good therefore that I can do, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it. For I shall never pass this way again.” Etienne de Grellet.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Pondering About Prayer

Today, God answered a prayer! My dad has been in a nursing home recovering from a broken hip. Today, he was able to get back home to Kingston Marion Assisted Living. With some of his challenges, we didn’t know if this could happen, so I’m thrilled!

Sometimes, we can be surprised by answered prayers. If we’re honest, most of us struggle in some way with prayer. We think of prayer as something we need to add on to an already filled schedule. It’s just one more thing that gets dumped when the day gets busy.

I like to think of prayer in a different way. Prayer is not an “ought to” activity but a “want to” activity. It doesn’t have to be mundane or monotonous. It doesn’t have to be boring. It’s actually a time that we get to talk and listen to our Heavenly Father and experience joy in His presence.

Perhaps, we you miss out on prayer because we don’t understand that it’s more about a relationship with God, than getting our prayers answered the way we want them answered. In knowing Christ as our Savior, we have access to praying to the God of the universe every moment of the day. And God Himself LOVES when we come to Him. We literally get to talk to the God of the universe! No matter how hard I try, I can't fathom this amazing gift of prayer!

Keep in mind we don’t have to sound eloquent or fancy or anything like that. I think many of us get hung up in prayer because we don’t sound like so and so. I’m glad you don’t sound like so and so! You need to sound like YOU! God loved and made YOU so special and so unique and wants you to come to Him with your specialness and uniqueness. That, my friends, is amazing.

Dallas Willard, a former professor of mine and very wise man said this about prayer: “Don’t seek to develop a prayer life- seek a praying life. A ‘prayer life’ is a segmented time for prayer. You’ll end feeling guilty that you don’t spend more time in prayer. Eventually you’ll probably feel defeated and give up. A ‘praying life” is a life that is saturated with prayerfulness-you seek to do all that you do with the Lord.”

There’s certainly nothing wrong to set aside time to pray. I actually do that every morning. I tend to write my prayers down each day. It’s the way I remember who and what to pray for. If you’d peek at my prayer journal you’d see over and over each day “Please bring Dad back to Kingston.” Hear me for a moment: What Willard’s quote is saying is that as we commune with God throughout our day, we actually can talk to him non-stop, whether you’re at the grocery, on a drive, in a pickle of a predicament, experiencing a kidney stone, or anything else! Life is never compart-mentalized and neither is prayer.

Today, I encourage you to take the next step in your prayer life. As Skye Jethani writes in 'What if Jesus Was Serious about Prayer?', “With our without words, simply invite Him into the life you are already living.”

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. 

Vulnerability

Kidney stones have a distinct way of making one feel vulnerable. There’s nothing like waking up in the night realizing that there is no other place to be in the world than the local hospital. So, off we went as fast as we could. It wasn’t fast enough. The ER staff didn’t realize the imminent danger I was facing, so waiting was my only option.

Finally, we got back into a real room. By that time, I thought life was soon to cease as I knew it. Still, they didn’t realize the imminent danger or pain I was feeling, so we continued to wait. Those long minutes stretched into hours at the hospital that night. I felt so helpless. So small. So out of control. A deep sense of vulnerability seemed to consume me.

Maybe you’re part of the Kidney Stone Club? If so, you know what I’m talking about. If not, you’re the lucky ones! I can only imagine you’ve experienced some of these same feelings under different circumstances. Vulnerability comes in all shapes and sizes.

I would prefer to never have another one of these stones visit me again. Never! But, what if it does?

We don’t have to fear the things we can’t control. We don’t have to live afraid. I honestly remember praying for God to take away the pain. He didn’t answer when I wanted Him to. Yet, God was there with me and He will ALWAYS be with me, no matter what I’m going through...and somehow, God got me through a very difficult night.

Did you know that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake You? Did you know Jesus will never take His eye off you? Did you know that even when you’re going through miserable pain or awful circumstances, He has not forgotten you nor let you go. Did you know that we can grow more like Christ, even in challenging times?

Since that dreadful night, I take great delight in recognizing God helped me through a most vulnerable time. I had a different take on my vulnerability. When I am weak, I am more apt to see my desperate need for God. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 speaks of this: “But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

We hate to admit our vulnerability. Yet, there is something so important to see in this verse. Paul was desperate in his desire to find relief from his burden. God didn’t remove the burden the way Paul wanted. Instead of taking it away, God strengthened Paul under it and showed His strength in Paul’s vulnerable weakness. Paul understood that God’s grace would be sufficient. Paul knew he couldn’t rely on himself! 

Sooner or later, we will all experience vulnerability. God is near and will show Himself strong in your weakness. 

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.