Keion Henderson - Moments Before a Miracle

I promise you, we are moments away from a miracle-that’s all I want to tell you. It won’t be long; you are moments away from a miracle if you believe. High five, everybody! You can reach down to yourself, telling you we’re moments away. We’re moments away. We’re moments away. I feel God in this room. These moments you are in right now are the moments before the miracle. Maybe, just maybe, if you’ve never asked yourself the question I am about to pose for those of you who are in this time zone this morning, for those of you who are in the East this afternoon, and for those of you who are in other parts of the world this evening, you may have never asked yourself this question. Don 't feel bad because the inquiry has never entered your mind. It’s something I thought of as I was reading this week, and I don’t even know why I asked myself the question. It is only recently, as I’ve tried my best to live completely in the present, that I’ve embarked on this journey of living in the now, not thinking about what was-not even concerning myself, as the scripture says; I don’t have to worry about what will be. I’m only responsible for where I am. When you practice being present, it develops a level of gratitude. Most people don’t have gratitude for where they are. Let me tell you, as bad as it may seem, I swear to you it could be worse. It could be worse. As I’ve tried to practice this presence, I asked myself a question I’d never asked before. It’s going to be a mundane, trivial question; it’s not awe- inspiring, it’s not shocking, but it is one that yields a result if you’re open to the information. Have you ever asked yourself what is the difference between a minute and a moment? Have you ever asked yourself that? I’ve never asked myself that, but we use them in what linguistics would call synonyms — words or phrases that have nearly, if not the exact, same meaning. You 've heard this before; you’ve heard the words used interchangeably. You 've heard somebody say, «Give me a minute,» but you’ve also heard somebody say, «I need a moment.» Have you ever asked yourself what the duration of a minute is and what the duration of a moment is? We know that a minute is an accumulation of 60 seconds, but how long is a moment? If I say, «Give me a minute,» and you ask me that at 6:22 and I come back at 6:23, I’m within my rights because all you asked for was a minute. What you meant was, «Give me a moment.» What’s the difference between a minute and a moment? Every parent in here has said, «Y’all, I need-come on, parents, just give me a minute! I just walked in the house. I know you’re hungry. I know we have to get to basketball practice.» Does anybody have kids who are just waiting on you? You just finished working or you just completed something else, and you just need-do you need a minute, or do you need a moment? How do you define a moment? I’m getting ready to tell you what it is: a moment is a period of time that begins to vanish the moment it starts. This is good because everybody in the room is waiting on their moment, but if you waste time, your moment will be over because the moment starts to end the moment it begins. I don’t know who will be honest and identify, but is there anybody in the room who will be honest and say, «I suffer from procrastination „? Am I right about that? It’s like, „I know I’m ready, but I ain’t ready. I’m ready to go, but I’m ready to stay. I’m ready to start this business, but I ain’t ready to start this business. I’m ready to start this family, but I ain’t ready to get up and feed anybody every two hours. I’m ready, but I ain’t ready.“ I’m praying, „God, make me a husband.“ I’m praying, „God, make me a wife,“ but I ain’t ready to submit. So let’s date a while, Jesus. Ladies, don’t act like you haven’t said, „God, I want a husband, but he’s going to have to be patient with me while I learn how to be a wife.“ You 're asking for your moment, but the reason why God doesn’t send the moment the moment you want it is that God knows the moment ceases to be a moment the moment it begins. If you’re not ready when the moment starts, your moment will be up, and you’ll still be asking God for a moment because it’s like a vapor-the moment it starts, it’s already fading away. This is a good word for young people. See, if you listen to young people, they say stuff like, „I’m still young.“ Baby, you’re not! I just want you to know I’m still young; I’m still 25. I’m still 30. I’m still 35. Do you know how old that is? See, 25, 30, and 35 is only young in church. If you go to Wall Street at 21, they’re already millionaires. By 25, they’re already racking in billions. But somehow, when it comes to spiritual things, I’m just getting started; I’m young. Your mama had three kids by the time she was your age. You keep using that young card because it’s your moment. One day, you’re going to look in the mirror, and time will betray you.