The Cage
Esther spent part of this morning building a Monarch Butterfly cage and collecting leaves with their eggs from her milkweed plants. She carefully placed her butterfly nursery on a table we have on our screened porch which is connected to our bedroom by sliding doors. As I walked into the bedroom I happened to see her sitting next to the table peering intently, as if her eggs might hatch at any moment. It was then that it happened!
Over the past twenty-two years, I have periodically experienced what I have labeled “special moments.” It’s as if I am somehow allowed to see this beautiful creature that God has brought into my life (my wife) as our Heavenly Father sees her. Each of these moments are different, but nearly all of them trigger an unintended drop of water to form in the corner of both of my eyes.
It is during these moments that I get a special revelation of who she really is, and how fortunate I am to be able to call her wife. Today, I saw her as a child, a child of God, but nonetheless a real child. Like most children, she was inquisitive, intent, fearless, less than completely serious, admiring nature and proud of her butterfly nursery. For a brief glorious moment, time stopped for me, the sunlight increased in intensity, and my heart felt like it might burst.
The wonderful things about these moments are that if you are quiet and slow life down a little, they linger and sometimes bring a second allotment of moisture to form in your eyes. This one was special because as much as I appreciated this experience, it came with the realization that Father God was also enjoying it.
I think the primary requirement to have “special moments” is to slow down your life. Not for a moment, but for good. Special moments don’t come in a predictable instant, nor can you schedule them. I remember once when I was picking Esther up after work from the hospital where she worked as a Registered Nurse. I had a little wait and simply relaxed sitting in the car. The longer I waited, the stronger I anticipated that first sight of her. As she quickly exited the building, it was then another surge of energy, another bright emotional light I felt, and then she was beside me. I think if I would have allowed myself to be impatient and concerned for wasting time, I would have missed the gift God gave me.
Unlike most other experiences, special moments are treasured up in our hearts and can be freely called into our remembrance. Sometimes though, they just roll into our consciousness and, either way, bring the same joy into our hearts and the same holy water into our eyes.
Father God has many special moments for us all. The only requirement is to slow down and appreciate God’s gift of our spouse.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:19, New International Version (NIV)
In His love,
Ted
