Living
in the Now
By Susan Klein
“Everyone was amazed
and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘we have seen
remarkable things today.”’
Luke
5:26 (NIV)
Do
you consider yourself to be someone who "lives in the now”? Until
recently, I thought I did. Then, I heard a message from my pastor that gave me
pause to reconsider. He pointed out how the “now” suffers when we get stuck in
our past or focus too much on our future. He also said our thought life and
attitude will let us know how we are living “right now.” As I listened to these
words, I felt a jab of introspection coming on.
I
tend to be a planner. As soon as my consciousness arouses in the morning, my
thoughts start running through the day, and even the week. My lists tend to
grow by the hour. At night, I often struggle with sleep because my brain won’t
turn off, evaluating the day’s events and scrutinizing my mistakes. Sometimes,
I even miss out on pieces of conversation with people because my mind is
already jumping to the next topic. Doesn’t sound too “now”-focused. And what
about my attitude? Am I grateful to God for blessing me in the now, or am I
worrying about future things that haven’t happened yet?
Reading
the verse above, I can visualize that room full of people, attentively
listening to Jesus and focusing on the healing He’d just performed. They were
so filled with awe and wonder at His words and actions that all they could do
was praise God and talk about it for the rest of the day. They were so immersed
in the “now” that they probably mentioned it to everyone they encountered as
they made their way home. I doubt anyone said, “Well, that sure was amazing,
but I need to get home to make dinner and do laundry.” I’ll bet they were still
in the “now” of God’s presence as they laid their heads to rest that night.
What a pleasant way to fall asleep!
Let’s
not miss out on what God is doing or saying in the moment because we’re too
busy planning the future or dredging up the past. He’s let go of our past sins
and He promises to provide for our future needs, so why waste time worrying
about what hasn’t happened yet? Let’s try not to “get around to” or “schedule” our
time with Him, rather let’s make a point to steep ourselves in His presence in
every moment, relishing the awe of Him.
Are
you living in the now?!!
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What thoughts or attitudes might be keeping you tied to the past or fretting
about the future?
2.
Try walking through a whole day living in the “now.”
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is married to
Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing,
and tutoring with the Literacy Council. Susan is part of the Peacemaking Team
at Oakwood.
