nooma

Danny and I participate in a young adult life group with some of our close friends.  We meet on Sunday evenings and we rotate between each other's houses. There are probably 8 couples that participate - so around 16 people each week. We always have small appetizers, etc, and we mingle for 15-20 minutes before we start our study. We are currently working our way through Rob Bell's nooma series.

Trying to put into words how this group has changed me is nearly impossible. God used this life group and Rob Bell to bring me back to Him, to refocus my life on Him.

There have been so many Sundays over the last few months where I felt the message was intended specifically for me.  On the way to one life group session, Danny and I were talking in the car about the past. We were talking about how much fun it was in our early twenties, while we were dating, and how care-free our lives were. We talked about how he misses Costa Rica and his family.

When we arrived to lifegroup ten minutes later, we noticed the lesson for that night was titled "Today: how much time and energy do we spend wishing things were how they used to be?"........I was shocked.  Literally, we were both speechless. We were just talking about this in the car, and it was weighing on both our souls!  God is so perfect - He know exactly what we need and when we need it.

Here is the message from that night:

How much time and energy do we spend wishing things were how they used to be? We often think about times in our past when things were different and want our lives to be like that again. Some of us have even come to believe that our best days may actually be behind us. But if we're in some way hung up on the past, what does that mean for our lives now? How are we and those around us affected if we're not fully present? If we're longing for the way things used to be, what does that really say about our understanding and appreciation of our lives today? Maybe we need to learn to embrace our past for what it is, in order to live our lives to the fullest, right here, right now.

That was three weeks ago, and it really changed things alot for me.  I appreciate Danny SO much more.  I'm so thankful for our lives together and everything our He has given us.  I love Danny so much and never want to spend one second without him.  And I never want to yearn for the past or dwell on it, but remember it fondly and move forward.  I need to really be present and live each day to the fullest.

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