I have been distracted from living in this moment, in this
step, in today. I have talked about it
before because it is a constant fight.
And maybe you can relate.
When I dwell on the future, I miss today. When I become fixated on my plans, on
creating a plan, on a solution, on the if-onlys, on the some-days, the next step, I have trouble
executing my current step. Even more
important than this step, this moment, this day is the presence of God in this
step, this moment, this day.
The future is not reality.
And I distort reality when I project my mind into the future. And so do you. God defines our reality. Our God is present right now. Our God is already present in tomorrow. While God is
omnipresent, we are only capable of being present in the right
now. I will struggle to experience God if I am trying to live in tomorrow. Being fixated on
my notions of tomorrow means missing the presence of God right now.
God is our joy. When
we miss the presence of our God in this moment—the only moment we are promised—we
miss the joy of God.
I refuse to be robbed.
I will not miss the abundance of Christ in today. I will not be fooled into trading the joy of
Christ’s presence in this minute for the fearful projections of a mind
that cannot fathom Christ’s creativity and provision in tomorrow. Our Lord has given us life in Christ—and only
that is life to the full. But, that life—that
calling—is happening in this moment.
I will make a choice to live in the presence of God. And the presence of God is in the present. And that is our reality. Fixation on the future creates a flawed
forecast predicated on an extreme underestimation of Christ’s power. These forecasts are a lie—and we must
recognize them as lies.
If I sound frustrated, I am. Our Lord has made His presence available to us always. But in our humanity, the present time is the
only time we can currently experience the Lord’s presence.
I choose to experience God in this moment. You must choose to experience God in this
moment. And lately, I have forgotten
that we make the choice.
How paralyzed and downtrodden we can become if the enemy can
get us to dwell on the next moment, on the next step, on the future. I implore you to choose the right now, this
moment, this step, this single decision, this day. Because this moment is where we can experience our Lord, that is where
we must remain.
Praise the Lord for His help in doing so. Praise the Lord that experiencing His presence in the present is life to the full.
“You make known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy
in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11 NIV).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have
come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV).
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk
in the light of your presence, Lord.”
(Psalm 89:15 NIV).
Speaking of life to the full—I'm in need of a refill.
Much love to you,
Paige
I like it. One of my favorite quotes from Jim Elliot is "Wherever you are, be all there." Definitely a hard thing to live--but definitely worth it. :)
ReplyDelete