I sometimes call my generation the ‘look ahead’ generation. We are constantly captivated by what the future will hold, and what the coming days or years will bring.
In high school we dream of graduating and going to college.
In college we dream of graduating and getting a paying job.
Post college we dream of the next promotion, a family in our future or perhaps something as small as looking forward to the weekend.
The problem with being so focused on the future is that we forget to live in the moment…to live in the NOW. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year”.
I have to confess that I am a HUGE planner. Those of you that know me best already knew that! Besides my Bible, my daily planner is the most important book I own. My calendar has events marked in it months ahead of time….but despite my personality I really discovered a truth a few years ago that will stick with me the rest of my days.
Failing to live in the present voids us of the joy life brings on a daily basis.
It’s not always easy! Sometimes it’s much more desirable to look ahead to what the future brings, and simply ‘survive’ making it through the current day.
I understand some days will be mundane. Some days will feel ordinary. It’s a choice. You have the ability each and every morning to invest yourself into your work, your relationships and your community.
There are millions of people sleepwalking through each and every week…are you any different?
This topic was weighing on my heart because yesterday marked two months until I head to meet up with my squad. For those who don’t know I am heading to Atlanta, GA January 5th and my amazing C-squad will be flying to Honduras January 9th.
It would be extremely easy for me to wake up every morning for the next two months with thoughts of the World Race in my head. The countries I’ll be living in, the people I will be telling about Jesus or the adventures that will fill my year.
But to have that mindset would deprive me of what these next two months will bring. My time with family, my work, even the work the Lord is doing in my heart.
So I’m making the conscious choice…I’m 100% invested in the NOW. Not one foot here and one foot stepping towards Honduras. Not one eye here and one eye on Malawi.
Every morning brings an incredible day of possibilities and I want to be committed to them…even if today that simply means an afternoon of yard work. 🙂
Perhaps you have some kind of ‘World Race’ in your future…or perhaps you find yourself constantly longing for what is in your future? I challenge you to wake up each morning and CHOOSE to invest in the current day.
Invest in the present.
Live in the NOW.
