Life is full of seasons. I am thankful and excited for the upcoming start of autumn, which is my favorite season of all. There are other seasons in life, too, and one in which I lately find myself is one of busyness.
I have a full plate. I think there is a difference between having a full plate and having too much on your plate. Too much will lead to burnout; the plate can crack or even break due to the weight. Having too little on your plate, though, will lead to boredom; and, frankly, you may wake up one day to find yourself with a smaller plate that is better suited for its limited contents. God has given us each a plate, and the sizes vary among us. When we are capable of holding more, more is expected. But not to the point that we are damaging the plate itself. We have to maintain the appropriate respect for that gift which God gave us, after all. We need to be fair to ourselves while at the same time not shying away from all that God has called us and prepared us to do.
So I have a lot going on. (And don’t we all?) But more and more, I am getting better at living life one day at a time. I am learning that, although complete disregard for the future is foolish, it is crucial to live in the present moment and make the most of it. Otherwise, we are truly wasting our time on this planet.
Below is an excerpt from C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, which is written from a demon’s point of view, on his advice for getting humans away from the Lord, or their “Enemy”:
“For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity…Our business is to get them away from the eternal, and from the Present… It is far better to make them live in the Future. Biological necessity makes all their passions point in that direction already, so that thought about the Future inflames hope and fear. Also, it is unknown to them, so that in making them think about it we make them think of unrealities. In a word, the Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time – for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays…. Hence, nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead… To be sure, the Enemy wants men to think of the Future too – just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow. The duty of planning the morrow’s work is today’s duty; though its material is borrowed from the future, the duty, like all duties, is in the Present… We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow’s end, never honest, never kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the present.”
C.S. Lewis sure had a way with words. He touches on the fact that the only point at which we can have any effect on eternity is now, at this very moment, in the present. By dwelling on the future, not only do we miss present opportunities, we are essentially living in unreality, in an unknown. This leads to detrimental consequences, including the forfeit of today’s happiness, kindness, and blessings. Rather, we easily turn to misplaced hopes, fears, and even sinful thoughts and actions when we focus too much on the future. We begin to trust ourselves more than we trust God. I know most of us are nervous about the state of this country and this world, and perhaps we have good reason. But we can’t let it consume us to the point that it’s preventing and debilitating us from making a positive difference today. From doing our part here and now to contribute to a better future, but even more importantly a better present!
In Matthew 6:34, Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Something I love about this passage is that it follows shortly after the Lord’s Prayer, which includes the simple line “Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus tells us during the first communion that bread symbolizes His body, broken for us. It symbolizes His love and grace, which we need each day. In John 6:35, Jesus affirms, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” What a reassuring line!
I need to remember to focus on the day at hand, to pray for the strength, grace, discernment, peace, and joy for the moment I am in – nothing less and nothing more, so long as that is my steady and continual prayer.
This does not mean we should neglect planning ahead, but we should plan only to the point at which it assists us in our tasks for this day and helps prepare us for those coming. To the point that we know, best we can, where we are headed and, so, can direct our present steps accordingly. We can be confident that there is One who goes before us, but we must stay on track to not fall behind or go astray.
Lord, help me to focus on this day which you have given me. It is a gift and not to be wasted by either fretting about or overeagerly awaiting the future. Help me to know what You have for me this day, and to handle it as You would desire. Grow me, stretch me, bring me ever closer to You as You help me in this very moment.
Psalm 118:24, HLC
sacred strokes 