“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘the present.'” – The old turtle in Kung Fu Panda
Second to food, one of the things that we World Racers seem to talk about most is, “where do I want to go next?” Not the next country that we are already booked to go to, but where we are going to go after this 11 month missions trip. We spend a good while getting anxious and giddy to travel the world, serving others and sharing Gods love, but once it becomes somewhat comfortable it’s easy to desire being where we are not.
Part of it is the sudden spark of adventure and travel that our eyes are opened to once we begin the trip. We are surrounded by new places, people and things and realize that traveling really isn’t that hard. We have plenty of resources and opportunities to carry ourselves from one place to the next. This realization brings a natural feeling of exploration. We realize that it’s actually possible to go to places that we have dreamed about or desired to go to.
The tough part about this is that we are currently on a trip around the world! We have six more countries to go to that we have never been to before! We have the opportunity to meet so many more people and grow in the relationships in which we have already created. I believe it comes down to something bigger and deeper. It is not only applicable to an 11 month missions trip, it applies to everyone. It comes down to the present. Why is it so hard to live in the now?
I remember moments when I was a little kid and I literally would pause and bask in a moment and think to myself, “It just doesn’t get better than this.” And that awesome gut feeling or realization usually came from small things such as eating birthday cake, or playing “kick the can” with my dad and my brother. The older I get the more difficult if feels to really be in the moment and to be completely satisfied with the present.
I just recently reread “The Alchemist” it’s a parable about a young shepherd boy who abandons all he knows to seek his treasure. This wonderful story is constantly filled with moments where the boy is faced with the desire to go back to what he was comfortable with or to continue to pursue his treasure.
The boy meets many wise people along the way:
-One of these wise men says, “I’m like everyone else- I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, and not what actually does.”
-An even wiser man tells the boy, “We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions or property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.”
–At one point in the story there is a camel driver who is leading the boy along with some others across the desert. He is not as wise and he asks a fortune teller to tell him of his future: “If good things are coming they will be a pleasant surprise,” said the seer. “If bad things are and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur.” “I want to know about the future because I’m a man,” the camel driver said to the seer. “And men always live their lives based on the future.”
(I will admit, I’ve paid to hear from a fortune teller before, she was having a 10 dollar special palm reading. I would encourage the experience, but I would not advise anyone to expect much outside of what you already know.)
I’m not writing this blog to say that it’s wrong to plan things or to look forward to upcoming events in our lives, (my current day dreams are of myself holding a staff and directing my herd of sheep with my dog Orvis in the boonies of Iceland). I’m writing it to simply say that the greatest moments in my life were the times that I was thinking of neither the past nor the future. The times where I was simply too overwhelmed in what was happening in the moment to think of what was coming next.
……
A couple of days ago I sat in the park down the street from our hostel in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam and attempted to memorize some scripture. I was interrupted by a lady named Mo (pronounced “muh”, like how the noodles “Pho” is pronounced “Fuh”.) And she began talking to me to practice her English (very common to be approached by locals for English practice in Vietnam). After talking to Mo for a little bit it was evident that she was stressed and worried about her future. She explained that she was “searching for something but didn’t know what.” I eventually just asked her what she believed and she explained to me that she doesn’t believe anything, just that we are here and when we die then we will be dead.
I attempted to explain to her about who Jesus is and why the truth of Jesus coming to die for our sins is so significant. Mo explained that she was glad I believe in something to make myself feel better but she just can not believe because she doesn’t think it’s true. We had a really good conversation and maybe I should have just wrote this blog about it, but the point is that Mo had no hope in the present. Her day was measured by what she did or did not accomplish to feel good about herself. Even as Christians we tend to live our lives just like Mo much of the time and not just bask in the presence of the Lord and seek what he has for us like the boy in the parable.
Here’s a parable from Matthew 13:44 that explains what it looks like to live our life in that sort of presence. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Now I don’t believe he is saying that we need to go and sale all that we have in order to be part of the kingdom. What I do believe he is saying is that what he has to offer us is enough.
