The Sweetness of Now

I wanted a big word for the year: thrive, success, even flourish, but baby number four was on the way. I now know that the physical and mental toll of having a newborn is not something to take lightly. I traveled too soon with my first and second born, nursing my daughter in the back of a Land Cruiser as it bumped along rough roads for twelve hours straight. I didn’t want to miss out, so I pushed myself to go when I should have made time for rest. I still missed out. I survived the trip only to end up flat on my back, unable to attend the graduation we had travelled to attend. My body just couldn’t take it. I ended up with painful mastitis resulting in abscesses that took months to fully recover from. Painful lesson learned. We just aren’t designed to do all the things all the time.

I love the rhythm of choosing a word to focus on as a new year peeks into view. It’s a grounding practice that helps me live the year with more intention. Savor was the word I landed on for 2024. It felt perfect. Yes, savor those moments with a newborn. Those first smiles, mini-milestones, feedings at two a.m. I might not love every minute, but taking a mental step back and soaking it in helped me stay present when I wanted to rush ahead to the next less-intense season.

We also had a furlough coming up. It would be two of my kids’ first time visiting my passport country. Holding on to the idea of savor gave me permission to load it all in—the tubs of chocolate ice cream, Chick-fil-a, shopping trips to Walmart, tacos, libraries, parks, playdates with cousins, and time with grandparents.

It wasn’t the year for taking on new projects. It was a year for taking more pictures and taking more naps. Of course, that’s the highlight reel. I didn’t savor moments like when the strawberries I had bought the day before a long road trip had apparently gone bad, resulting in two kids throwing up in the car. Or when I accidentally locked the van keys inside the van while trying to carry in luggage and balance a baby on my hip. Thankfully, my aunt had AAA.

I did savor every meal my Bible study group and church friends brought over after I gave birth. Comfort food for both the body and soul. I slowly enjoyed every spoonful. This recovery was my smoothest by far. Instead of trying to rush myself back to “normal”, I asked for help, slowed down, and let my body heal. Sometimes it is good to miss out. It’s impossible to savor everything at once, so be intentional with what you choose to savor. “This is the day that the Lord has made,” Psalms 118:24 says. “Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (ESV). It’s a discipline to choose to rejoice in the day. This day, pulling your mind back from the tendency to wander ahead to the next, choosing instead to be fully present in the now. 

During the six months we were on furlough, I loved every hot shower, cherished a traditional Christmas with family, and watched the kids play in glorious, fluffy snow for the first time. I savored in-person conversations and seeing my grandma holding her newest great-grandchild. Like Mary, I treasured these things in my heart, capturing them in my memory. It is so easy to take simple things for granted.

What I learned most from a year of leaning into this soft but powerful concept is that you have to be selective when it comes to truly savoring an experience. You have to choose to be present, focused, and often, slow to fully allow the senses to do their work. Savoring involves the choice of intentionality. When friends let us stay in their cabin in Colorado for a few days, I got up in the mornings with my Bible and a warm cup of tea to watch the sunrise come in softly over the mountains. I put my phone on the time-lapse setting and recorded it so I could watch it again when I wanted to. The sun rises every day, but I rarely make the effort to see it all glorious and pink.

Each day is a gift, yet we are often so busy that we don’t fully appreciate it. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end,” Lamentations 3:22–23 tells us. “They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (ESV). This is where we find our hope. Our joy is in his strength. Savor his good gifts, rejoicing in the day he has placed before you.

What is the best meal you have ever eaten? Where was the most beautiful sunset you ever saw? How are you intentional about savoring the gifts the Father sends across your path?