Flickr by Gary Dunaier
This evening I began thinking about time capsules and future generations. What would I place in my time capsule from March 1, 2012 to be opened in 50 years by my grandchildren and great grandchildren? What valuable treasures, words of wisdom, reflection of who I am and who my family is, dreams and photos would I place inside?
So on a very small scale (internet-sized), here is what I would enclose in my time capsule this day:
- Letters — While picking up in my son’s room the other day, I found a Christmas letter from my Chris’ mom. It contained wishes, joy and dreams. It contained a good idea/invention that Chris’ 84 year old dad is carrying out. It reminded me that letter writing is a lost art. Yet, how valuable to have her heart on the page in her hand for us to read and re-read. We, as a generation, have taken recycling to the level of sharing life. It is read and marked as read and left for a timeline post somewhere, never to be read again. I believe we have lost the art of “treasuring it up” and sharing valuable information with those we love the most. Too often our treasures of words are pearls to swine or even more-so perhaps we have made the art of sharing our hearts too common. Why should we expect it to be treated as valuable, when we throw it out there like so much rubbish? We need to invest time again in letter writing–not only for the sake of sharing, but also for the practice in telling a good, long story worth reading. In 140 characters, we are losing the beauty of a reflected-life worth reading.
- Waking Up–Most of us live like we have fallen asleep. We try to satiate the aching holes in our soul by feeding on mindless things. I am guilty of this for sure. To relax, I want to watch something that will not make me think–maybe laugh–but thinking is something that I try to turn off. I want to accomplish the things I have to, while doing something I like that somehow entertains me. Now remember I do not multi-task well. But if I have to exercise, I must have music! We rely on empty entertainment. And silence is a lost art. Recently my Chris traveled out of the country for the week with work. I have found that silence is as needed as breathing. During that time, I made myself be silent rather than turning on the tv, radio or calling somebody. In the silences, I found a refuge and healing of my spirit. I would be on the cusp of tears, as I missed my Chris so much. But also, I realized that some of our usual daily habits (staying up too late, falling into a mindless routine) were not happening. Perhaps as a couple–as a family even–we need to mix it up a little. We need to wake up!
- Rise Up–Along those same lines, our family has been feeling challenged in many venues to rise up, to reach out to those in need, to open our arms and hearts to others, to see their pain and to be like Jesus to them. We are all walking with eyes wide open to see and to do and to reach. We are giving from our plenty (even if it is just $32 in the bank–comparatively that is rich!) to help their want. We are praying for them and thinking about them. If you would like to join us in seeing, then check out our friend Scott’s website, Live58 and join the global impact tour. As a family, we feel called to be kingdom builders and to pour out our resources now–not to hoard them for selfish needs. So I guess you could say, we are in the process of waking up.
- Provision and Wise Investment–We are 17 days away from the end of bankruptcy! This journey the past six and a half years has been hard, humbling and horrendous. YET, we have seen the unbelievable. We have had abundance in the form of vehicles given to us, gift cards for fine restaurants, our mortgage paid 6 times, grocery cards, groceries delivered, forgiven late fees, Christmas gifts for our children and PRAYER–an ever-rising, overflowing, mound of prayer on our behalf. It is beautiful. About six months ago, I clearly heard the Lord tell me to stop living like I was under the oppression of bankruptcy anymore…not to be crazy in my spending, but to TRUST that He had indeed ushered in a new day–even when I could not see a sign of that new day! Remember that $32? That was just a few days ago! But God. He is still at work. He is still providing. He is making a way from this desert. We are walking it well and investing in God’s kingdom, as we go. We are living on a tight budget, but it is a budget…and we have not wanted for one thing we need. Unlike these…so we SEE them. And we invest in them. We value the care of others in need right now over saving for the future. For God? He’s already in our future. He knows how and what and when. He will provide, our Jehovah Jirah.
- Joy in the Journey–We love to laugh, to play games, to read, and to romp. As a family, we try not only to share, but to listen and to care for one another. We sit at the family dinner table and share daily about our days. We often read books aloud and do puzzles–make cookies and play games. Part of what makes us, US, is that we like to spend time as a family. We like to travel in the car, hike trails and share time camping. We like to do life together. Perhaps that will change, as our oldest is 14. But so far, I am not seeing that. I am seeing a close-knit family that God has forged through every single hardship over the past six years. I am seeing the fruit of my prayers at work. God is everything to us. We trust in Him. We love Him. And we love others. Perfectly? By no means! But it is a blessing to live and love as we do. I don’t take it for granted. Not for one second…
What might you place in your time capsule this day? What matters to you that people, your people, should know in 50 years? Take time and share here or write it down. Then live like it matters, like you are waking up, like you are investing and all that with joy!
Time Capsule of this post (in under 140 characters–just for fun!): Treasuring it up. Letters. Yet. Live 58. Joy. Our God is Everything. He Provides. He is in the future, making a way…50 years and beyond.
