Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Seizing the Day

Last Saturday was a beautiful day here in South Dakota.

Gary suggested that we go kayaking on the Missouri River.

Now, it would have been easy to push that idea aside and just do our normal Saturday stuff. It takes some work to get the kayaks ready and gather the paddles and life jackets. It takes time to drive to the river. But we decided to go for it.

After we decided to kayak, we ran into another obstacle. The Missouri River was so low that our normal spot to get in was impossible. There wasn’t enough water to float in the little bay leading to the big river. We drove around and checked out other spots, walking from parking lots and figuring we’d get stuck in the mud if we attempted to get in the river there.

We finally parked by the little wayside chapel right by the Platte-Winner bridge and carried the kayaks down a hill. My flip-flops seemed like a poor choice on the steepest part of the route to the water. But we made it.

During the summer, I had begged Gary to let me kayak under the bridge to the other side of the river, but he had (wisely) refused to allow it. The wind, waves, and lots of boats on the water would have made it pretty tough to paddle the mile across the Missouri.

But last Saturday was perfect. No wind, no waves, and no boats. We got in, shoved off, and peacefully paddled under the huge cement supports of the bridge.

It was just as cool as I’d imagined it would be when I begged to do it this summer. So peaceful and so neat to go under the bridge and hear the cars passing by overhead.

We made it to the other side without any problems.

We turned around to go back and decided to go south of the bridge so the trucks could see us as they crossed. It was rewarding to hear a couple of them honk when they saw us.

It was so much fun to cross the mile-wide Missouri River on November 28.

We could have missed it if Gary hadn’t recognized how perfect the day was for making my wish come true.

We could have missed it if we had decided it wasn’t worth the effort and stayed home.

We could have missed it if we had given up trying to find a good place to get in the water.

I’m glad we seized the day and pushed through the obstacles so we could enjoy our little adventure.

I wonder how many things we miss out on because we don’t always seize the day. Let’s keep our eyes, minds, and hearts open to all of the opportunities around us. Just think of all the adventures we’ll have if we do that!

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15–17 NIV)

Do you make sure to seize the day, or do you miss out because you get stuck in your normal patterns of life? How can focusing on God help you to make the most of every opportunity that comes up?