A friend of mine taught me
this saying: "Wherever you are, be all there."
Do you live like that, or do you try to borrow from tomorrow?
There are times when I catch myself trying to live several days in advance, worrying over this and distressed about that, but the Lord has been teaching me to give up this anxious habit. I wasn't more productive by worrying ahead; I was just more stressed out. We don't control how many numbered days we have, so it's best to live them wisely one at a time. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Planning is fine; fretting over plans is not.
We will all have many events in life, but will we "be all there," or will our bodies be present while our minds go elsewhere? We only have a limited amount of time on this side of heaven. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss out on the precious moments by failing to focus on one event at a time?
Our youngest son Collin graduated from Bible College in May of 2013. While I sat in the auditorium waiting for his name to be called, I enjoyed the moments of watching every student graduating. It was so much fun to be there...all there.
Our oldest son Austen announced his engagement in June of 2013. When his fiancée Jessica showed us the ring, I was transported back to the moment when my Norman gave me my ring and asked me to marry him. I was here and there!
Our daughter Hillary moved to Virginia to attend law school later that same year. The day we were unpacking the moving truck, the clouds opened up and a downpour drenched us! We put on baseball caps, and in dripping clothes we unloaded that truck in record time. It was a milestone moment, and we were "all there." We were all wet, too.
Norman H. kisses me goodbye every day before he leaves for work, and I capture that kiss in my mind. And when I give him a snack after work, I kiss his forehead while he's sitting in the chair. These are loving moments that keep us "all there" in our relationship, right here and now. How do we know if we'll have each other tomorrow?
When your loved ones leave for the day, do you pause long enough to look at them and really see them? We assume that we'll say good morning and goodnight, but in reality, we only have this moment. Are you all there?
Life is a vapor that vanishes fast enough without us trying to live in the present and the future at the same time. It takes some thought, but with practice we can train ourselves to focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is highly overrated. Just live the moments God grants you, one at a time. Plan ahead, but don't try to live ahead.
"Wherever you are, be all there." It's a motto that makes good sense.
"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14)
Do you live like that, or do you try to borrow from tomorrow?
There are times when I catch myself trying to live several days in advance, worrying over this and distressed about that, but the Lord has been teaching me to give up this anxious habit. I wasn't more productive by worrying ahead; I was just more stressed out. We don't control how many numbered days we have, so it's best to live them wisely one at a time. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Planning is fine; fretting over plans is not.
We will all have many events in life, but will we "be all there," or will our bodies be present while our minds go elsewhere? We only have a limited amount of time on this side of heaven. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss out on the precious moments by failing to focus on one event at a time?
Our youngest son Collin graduated from Bible College in May of 2013. While I sat in the auditorium waiting for his name to be called, I enjoyed the moments of watching every student graduating. It was so much fun to be there...all there.
Our oldest son Austen announced his engagement in June of 2013. When his fiancée Jessica showed us the ring, I was transported back to the moment when my Norman gave me my ring and asked me to marry him. I was here and there!
Our daughter Hillary moved to Virginia to attend law school later that same year. The day we were unpacking the moving truck, the clouds opened up and a downpour drenched us! We put on baseball caps, and in dripping clothes we unloaded that truck in record time. It was a milestone moment, and we were "all there." We were all wet, too.
Norman H. kisses me goodbye every day before he leaves for work, and I capture that kiss in my mind. And when I give him a snack after work, I kiss his forehead while he's sitting in the chair. These are loving moments that keep us "all there" in our relationship, right here and now. How do we know if we'll have each other tomorrow?
When your loved ones leave for the day, do you pause long enough to look at them and really see them? We assume that we'll say good morning and goodnight, but in reality, we only have this moment. Are you all there?
Life is a vapor that vanishes fast enough without us trying to live in the present and the future at the same time. It takes some thought, but with practice we can train ourselves to focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is highly overrated. Just live the moments God grants you, one at a time. Plan ahead, but don't try to live ahead.
"Wherever you are, be all there." It's a motto that makes good sense.
"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14)
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