One Moment in Time – Song #3

The song One Moment in Time is a worldwide hit sung by Whitney Houston and written for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea.  This song is about pursuing those moments in time when all your hard work and sacrifice culminate to a glorious celebration that makes you feel like you are racing with your destiny.  

This song perfectly captures the spirit of the Olympics because every athlete dreams of standing on the award platform and getting their moment in the spot light.  However, of the 11,000 athletes competing in the 2016 summer Olympics, only 306 sets of medals were given to the winners; therefore, only 8% of the Olympians received a medal.  The higher the stakes, the fiercer the competition and the harder it is to win, but I suppose that is why that “moment” on the platform is so special. 

Click on this link to listen to the song on YouTube

Click here to see all the Lyrics of the song

I relate to the athletes who go home without a medal.  Well to be honest, I relate to the spectators in the stands who have a 0% chance of ever winning a medal in any sport, even at a company picnic.  I’m not an especially gifted person or an outstanding humanitarian or a person decorated with awards or medals.  I can count on one hand how many awards I have won, but I have worked very hard to be the best I can be and yet at times I can still feel: 

o   Not as good as others

o   Falling far behind in the race

o   Ignored or unappreciated

o   Unimportant or insignificant

o   Time is running out and I haven’t had my moment in time

So how does an average person like me feel like “I’m racing with destiny” when songs like this imply winning an Olympic medal is how you experience these amazing moments?  How do I experience the lines in the song below?

Give me one moment in time
When I’m racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel, I will feel eternity

When I take time to reflect on those moments in my life when I feel eternity and racing with my destiny, I realize that none of them come with fanfare and awards or even praise and acknowledgement from others.

These moments for me look more like this:

• That moment when early in the morning before sunrise I was sitting on my couch reading my Bible and crying out to God in humility that resulted in a commitment to a closer walk with God.
• That moment when my 20-year-old daughter told me she loves God’s church and her teen ministry because the people call her to a pure and Godly life.
• That moment when I met my future husband’s darling 3-year-old son, Max, and deciding that I would love him and be willing to sacrifice for him.
• That moment when I said, “I do” to my husband at our wedding because we believe that marriage is designed by God and to be treasured.
• That moment in a hotel in Nanchang, China when the orphanage director placed a beautiful 16-month-old baby in my arms and she became our daughter. 
• That moment when I was baptized into Christ and I proclaimed, “Jesus is Lord.”
• That moment when I studied the Bible with a friend and she totally understood for the first time why Jesus had to die on the cross for her.

You see, these are the types of moments that determine my eternal destiny.  These are the moments that have altered the path of my life. 

As we are all striving on this earth to capture those glorious moments of achievement and victory, we all are also racing towards our ultimate destiny which is that moment in time when we take our last breath.  We know it is an inevitable moment in time.  The older I get it feels like the race is at light speed.  The Bible says:

Psalm 116:15-19

Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
¹⁶ Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷ I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.^[a

I love this verse so much because death is considered a precious sight rather than a horrible and sad event. The Bible has a one-word explanation for why God has this perspective about death. 

Heaven.

In heaven, we will finally have reached the finish line of our destiny which is to be with God for eternity.  In heaven, there will be no more sin to separate us from God.  We will be restored to God’s original intention for us and that is to be pure and undefiled by sin.  

What I also love about this verse is that the David realizes that he is truly God’s servant, and proclaims that he will sacrifice, be thankful, call on the name of the Lord and fulfill his vows to God in the presence of the people.  I think David wants his death to be precious in the sight of God. David wants to be counted along with the faithful ones.

What moments in time are you asking for in your life?  Are you seeking for those moments of accomplishment and praise from people at the expense of those moments that will get you to heaven?  Are you asking for that one moment in time when your death will be considered precious in God’s sight because you are considered one of his faithful servants?  Do the moments in time you seek or desire on this earth echo the desire to be with God for eternity?        

Father in heaven, give me that one moment in time….

When I open my eyes and I’m in heaven with you. 

With love,

Diane

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