Dwelling in the Moment with Amanda Ball-Knight | Episode 165
Life is hard. Sometimes it’s just… hard. Or messy. Or exhausting. Or disappointing. And if we’re honest, a lot of the time it doesn’t look like the life we planned.
In this episode of The Pastor Wife Life, my conversation with Amanda Ball-Knight brings us back to something we so easily forget: if we wait until life feels better to fully live it, we’ll miss the life God is actually giving us right now.
Listen to the Episode
Amanda shared something simple, but powerful. If she stayed in bed every day she didn’t feel good, she’d live her whole life there. Instead, she chooses to get up—to step into the day she’s been given—even when it’s hard. And in doing that, she’s learned how much goodness exists in the smallest, most ordinary moments.
The sunshine on your face.
Standing outside and feeling the warmth.
Even the sound of kids arguing in the other room.
Those moments don’t look spiritual. They don’t look productive. But they’re part of real life—and real life is where God meets us.
When Planning the Next Thing Makes Us Miss This Thing
Amanda also talked about how she used to plan her life far in advance. Everything was mapped out. Events. Schedules. The next thing and the next thing.
But in all that planning, she realized something painful: she was missing the moment she was actually in.
She was rushing past today to prepare for tomorrow, and in the process, she missed:
- The blessing in the moment
- The love in the moment
- Even the growth that comes from hard moments
Sometimes we think moving fast means we’re being faithful or responsible. But often, rushing is just a way of avoiding what’s uncomfortable—or inconvenient—or uncertain.
Dwelling means we stay.
We notice.
We don’t hurry past what God is doing right now.
Joy and Sadness Both Belong Here
One of the most important parts of this conversation was the reminder that joy and sadness are both necessary.
Amanda referenced the movie Inside Out—and as simple as that sounds, the truth behind it is deep. If we never experience sadness, we don’t truly understand joy. If we never experience sickness, we don’t appreciate health.
God didn’t design us to feel only the “good” emotions.
We’re meant to:
- Feel joy
- Feel sadness
- Process both
- Respect both
Not rush through them.
Not numb them.
Not pretend they don’t exist.
Because it’s through feeling and processing that we become who God created us to be.
Don’t Rush Past the Life God Is Shaping You In
There was a phrase Amanda used that stayed with me:
“The moment He had me in.”
Even when that moment was thick.
Even when it was hard.
Even when it wasn’t what she wanted.
Those moments matter.
And if we rush past them, we don’t just miss the discomfort—we miss the blessing, the growth, and the joy woven into them.
This episode is an invitation to slow down.
To stop racing ahead.
To stop waiting for life to be easier.
And instead, to dwell in the moment God has you in—trusting that even here, even now, He is at work.
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