Soul Food Sunday: You Don’t Know It’s the Last Time, Until It’s Already Gone

Welcome to Soul Food Sunday — because feeding our bodies is not enough.

My oldest turned 24 this week.
Twenty-four.

And I’ll tell you what… he was just a boy, he was just in high school, he was just in college…

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I can still see him as a little boy — sticky hands, endless questions, and that laugh that filled up every corner of the house. And now? He’s a full-grown man, living halfway across the country, building a life of his own, and engaged!

Somewhere between packing lunches and folding laundry, the years just… went.

And here’s the part no one tells you…

…it got me thinking about those lasts in his life:
The last time he asked me to read a bedtime story.
The last time he reached out his hand without thinking.
The last time we said those bedtime prayers…

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

We all say it: life goes by fast.
But I don’t think we really understand it until we feel it.

And am I gaining a heart of wisdom in all of this? What does that even mean? The NLT says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

You don’t get a warning.
No one taps you on the shoulder and says, “Hey, pay a little more attention, this is the last time.”

And if we’re not careful, we miss it. Because we’re distracted – I’m distracted,  rushing, or just trying to get through the day.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that this week.

About how I want to live my days; with intention, on purpose.

To look people in the eye.
To pause when someone wants to tell me a story.
To linger if I’m on the phone with someone without multitasking, and I’ll be honest, that one is really hard for me.
To say yes when it matters, and sometimes when it doesn’t matter to anyone but the person I say yes to.

To be there… not just physically, but fully.

Because the truth is, these days we’re living right now?
They’re the ones we’ll look back on.

And I don’t want a blur.

I want to remember that I showed up for our boys, my husband, my family, and my friends. I want to be the kind of friend someone could call in the middle of the night – well, maybe until 8:30, because I wouldn’t hear my phone downstairs – but any other time, I’d be there. 🤪

Not every moment will be meaningful. Some will be ordinary, messy, even frustrating. That’s life. But even in the middle of all that, there are small, quiet moments that matter more than we realize.

And they’re easy to miss if we’re always looking ahead.

So maybe this week, we don’t try to do more.

Maybe we just pay attention.

Sit a little longer.
Listen a little closer.
Hold on a second longer than usual.

It all goes faster than you think. And somehow, it feels like it’s speeding up.

I want to live in the here and now, doing what I should be doing, listening to hearts, being obedient to God’s call on my life.

Psalm 90 ends with this:
“Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful.”   Psalm 90:16–17 (NLT)

Hosanna! On this Palm Sunday, I hope you take a little time to just sit and rest!

Until next Sunday, take a little time to feed your soul, too. 💚