Grace for This Moment
One recurring hard we grapple with is staying in the moment; being present in the present. Fully investing our emotions, our mind, and our spirit in the very minute and circumstance we are living.
Our tendency leans toward missing this moment because we’re focused on another; often a future situation, which quickly can become all consuming in our minds. Our path looks precarious as we ponder upcoming events, probable predicaments, overwhelming deadlines, life milestones, and endless unknowns. And in this unique season, the potential outcomes of the pandemic and politics pummel our imaginations. In case we aren’t creative enough to come up with fallout to fret over, news panels and personalities daily lay out unsettling predictions.
In these times, God slides to the back burner. As our minds race ahead, we miss out on experiencing Him and the healing grace He has for us in this moment. Our anxiety, fear, and concerns pile up, blocking His light in the immediate. They become our focus, rather than Christ and our relationship with Him. For the only place we can encounter Him – Emmanuel, God with us – is right now. Here. This point in time.
When I talk with my sisters, if one of us gets wound up about something in the future, Brenda reminds us of a favorite quote she heard: “Imagery is often worse than reality”. So much of what we worry about and turn over in our minds a thousand times about something in the future never comes to fruition. Or is minimal compared to our imaginings. What wasted energy. How many lost minutes slip like sand through the hourglass of time as our eyes glaze over staring at the horizon instead of breathing in the joy of the present? How many blessings and treasures do we miss because anxiety-filled anticipation reigns in our mind? Planning and preparing is one thing. Indulging spiraling thoughts of dread and disquieting angst, quite another.
How do we reel in these anxious thoughts when they race toward the future?
With truth. And where do we find truth? In God’s Word. Our Lord, so good and wise, knew this would be a problem for us. Jesus gives the exact prescription needed for this very ailment. Let the following Treasure in the Word soak in slow and deep.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34, The Message)
How beautiful and simple. Worthy to put to memory so we can seize this weapon against “getting worked up” about tomorrow. His grace for that upcoming hard is already available. In our future. Not in our now. Today we reach out to receive the grace we need for what we are facing today.
The next time we find ourselves staring at a movie screen in our minds eye, depicting some future potential circumstance, let’s hit “pause”, remember the truth in this scripture, and turn back to living the present. Now, we embrace God and this moment He prepared for us to experience. Here, we allow Him to renew our minds and fill our hearts with peace, hope and joy.
Photo by Kevin Turcios on Unsplash
