Living in the now has always been tough. It was tough when Jesus walked the earth and it’s certainly tough today as we absorb myriad assaults of sound and sight.
This thought hit me hard yesterday when I was looking at family videos from the now-distant past. Those images captured every moment of extreme bliss and joy. It was incredible. And I remembered NONE OF IT.
That hurt a lot, of course, but it also produced a very positive thought:
God is not in the habit of getting in line for our attention.
Preoccupation with the past and paranoia about the future are impossible burdens to carry without missing the river’s soft bend, the ocean’s sunset glimmer, the baby’s innocent smile, and the sun’s glint of light washing our face.
Living in the now is paying attention and touching and feeling each moment. Vacant chanting that detaches us mentally and emotionally from reality may be an effective stress reducer, but it is not mindfulness. It is mindlessness.
As a follower of Christ, I am not trying to empty my mind. I am trying to fill it with my pursuit of God’s kingdom. I am trying to connect my deepest sense of self with the Lord of Heaven and earth. I’m trying to trust God to reveal his pathway to the future and inner peace.
I ask God to help me live in the now and ignore the tempting off-ramps of life that beckon with their allure. Protect my mind from preoccupation that prevents me from focusing on you and your Kingdom and my eternity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you living in the now today?
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
