A Moment Changes Everything

~Tracy Frederick 

This morning Newtown Connecticut, and a few other places, stopped for a moment of silence in memory of the sweet babies that lost their lives on a day like every other, except for that one moment.  In one moment everything changed. Today I watched people stand in the cold and rain for a moment still and silent in respect of that horrible moment. Some brushed away tears while others looked at the ground or into the distance. Cynically I expect that some were doing it because they “should ” and to be seen of men, some may have even been mentally checking off their holiday gift list, but others were thinking of their own child and perhaps saying a prayer of thanks for the safety of their baby . Today is a day like every other- filled with countless “moments.”  Our Lord told us that each moment offers great opportunity or loss- Joshua 24:15 “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Each moment we make a choice, whether we admit it or not, every moment offers a conscious choice. In one moment my Father made a decision to save the world by giving Himself. In one moment my heavenly Father turned His back on His only Son who was dying in agony on a cross in a moment when His son was weighed down with sin that was not His own, but mine, a moment that changed me from hopeless to hopeful.  It was that one moment on the cross that changed the world forever, just one moment.  Today, the moment of silence passed in Connecticut and people piled back into their office buildings as the next task awaited them and the busyness of the day presses upon them and the news stations turned back to their regular programs. But, that moment, that one moment, there was an opportunity. Each moment brings change, even if it seems like a day just like every other, there are opportunities we will capture or let pass, moments of reflection and renewal, but hundreds of “moments.” For this moment today I watched large groups of people stop and reflect on one moment when life changed forever while I considered the most important moment of all, when my Lord took a moment on the cross to offer me the chance for eternity with my Father. It was a moment that changed everything.  Now, it is my turn to consider my next moment.