Living in the Now is all you have.
You cannot change the past or the future. You can only act and live right now, in this moment.
There is no greater waste of time, energy and emotion than worrying about the future.
Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
This does not mean “do not plan for the future.” Planning is vital for taking care of your family, planning your career or saving for retirement. But planning is not the same as worrying. Worrying involves working yourself up with negative emotions, with thinking about all the bad things that could happen, with “what if” thinking.
When your mind is pre-occupied with worrying, you cannot take advantage of the present moment. Things happen in the moment, such as interactions with other people, which you can only enjoy to the fullest if you are mentally and emotionally present in the moment.
This moment presents opportunities to interact with other people with a smile on your face and genuine interest in and concern for them. They can sense you are focused on them when you are present with them. When you look distracted because you are distracted, or inattentive when your mind is somewhere else, it can make other people feel you do not care about them – even if you really do. What you communicate is, “I don’t care about you. I only care about myself and my own troubles.”
Living in the Now – C.S. Lewis’s Time-Stream
In his wonderful classic, “Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis explains his belief that God is out of the time-stream. Past and future do not mean anything to him. He is present now, and he wants to have a relationship with you now – not some time in the future.
In another take on “Living in the Now” is the great classic, “My Utmost For His Highest.” Author and missionary Oswald Chambers repeatedly states his belief that God does not have goals for our lives which he wants us to live up to in the future. He also believes that God moves and acts in the now, and he wants a relationship with you that involves total surrender to his love and Lordship. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is here now – it is not some distant dreamy future. To live in the Kingdom of God, you need to live in relationship to God right now. He will speak to you now if you will listen.
Problems can seem overwhelming when you worry about the future. But it is amazing what you can accomplish in a day, taking life one day at a time. Pain is not as great and difficulties as daunting when you just live for today.
This is truly one of life’s great lessons, one we sometimes have to learn over and over again. It’s so simple and comforting just to live your life now.
What do you think? Leave your comments below. Now.