Wow it’s been a while… I hope all is well with you, fellow readers! God has been laying some heavy stuff on my heart for this, so I’m gonna jump right into it. But before I do, I want you to think about a few things:
- Why are you reading this?
- What choices (that could have been made differently) led to you seeing this post?
- Where are you at in your life? and How has God been working with you where you are?
These are just some of the many thoughts that I want you thinking about as you read this. It is amazing to see how God works and leads us in our lives, and we can see it, if we look through eyes of faith.
So to be honest, life has been pretty crazy for me lately. It’s been a struggle identifying God’s presence and work in my life, and I’ve found myself questioning my faith from time to time because of that. But because of God’s grace and faithfulness, I have found myself once again baffled by His work coming together right in front of my face. In Psalm 37 verse 23 it says:
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” (NLT)
I believe this verse perfectly sums up God’s interaction with us, His children, on a day-to-day basis. He is a wonderfully personal God who absolutely LOVES spending His time guiding us through our lives! But, unfortunately, I know (from experience) that humans look forward too much. Expecting, waiting, desiring… Instead of simply living in the moment God has given us. Take for example this moment right now… You are reading this post and *hopefully* letting God speak to you through it. It isn’t about what words are coming next or what oafjoiejcn joweinh jiernf. (Ok, I just had to make a joke there.) But for real, your mind isn’t on the next sentence or the next hour or even the next day. Your mind is here, on each word as your eyes scan it, and, of course, on what you have already read. This is shaping you in this moment, making you who you are now. Ok, praise God for deep thought, but I know It’s easy to lose people with it.. Very simply stated: DON’T LOSE THIS MOMENT BY LIVING OUTSIDE OF IT.
In the book of Mathew, chapter 6 verse 34, Jesus says,
“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (NLT)
This passage is pretty simple to understand, but not so easy to actually do. God has spent the entirety of this past semester driving this into my stubborn heart, and even more stubborn mind. But once I grasped this truth and actually lived it, it was (is) AWESOME. “How does one begin to experience this awesomeness,” you ask?
- Live in each moment God has given you. Don’t live in the past or the future. Look forward with hope, and look back with wisdom and understanding, but do NOT dwell there.
- Love the people God has put in your life. Understand that nothing happens outside of God’s watchful eye. This means that the people you have are there because God either led them there or let them go there. Either way, there is a purpose. Love them and let them love you.
- Praise God for each moment and each person. These things are a gift. Say thank you as often as possible.
So this is by no means an entire breakdown of “living in the now,” and certainly no theological debate for or against predestination or human free will. It’s just some things God has taught me lately. His way of teaching us, that no matter what struggles, no matter what financial issue you might in the future, and certainly no matter who comes into or has left your life, God delights in guiding us and He is doing so daily with a perfect plan for our future, so stop worrying. Start living in this moment as the person God has made you to be. I hope it impacts you as much as it did me. Praise God.
CHALLENGE:
- Pray a prayer to God where you give Him the TRUE desires of your heart, however silly they may seem. Remember, He already knows them anyway.
- Tell the people that are close to you how thankful you are for them. You never know how far your kindness will go…
As always, email me with any prayer requests. Thank you and God bless.
-GLS
Bearlee Afloat 