I recently came across an article written by Marianne Williamson entitled, "The Time That Matters Most," which got me thinking about the way most of us view time. Although I don't support most of the views of this particular author, I really enjoyed reading her thoughts on perceptions of time. This is what she had to say,
"The present moment, if you think about it, is the only time there is. No matter what time it is, it is always now. Yet often we live somewhere else. With thoughts of the past and concerns about the future, we rob ourselves of a full experience of the present. Although the past is over and the future is never quite here, our minds are usually so involved with one or both of them that the present serves very little function except to form a bridge between the two."
I started thinking about how sometimes we can get so caught up in what previously was and what will be in the future, yet the only thing we truly have control over is the present moment. The Apostle Paul models the right attitude when he says, "forgetting those things which are behind." The key word here is "forgetting," but often that is incredibly hard for us. We hold on to regrets, past hurts, old negative ways of thinking, and relationships that God allowed to be destroyed for a reason. Also, we live in the future, thinking if I just had this much money, I could or would do this or if God would do this in my life, then I would be able to do this or If I were married, I would do this for God. The list goes on. Now, I am in no way saying that one should dismiss their dreams and goals because even the Apostle Paul said that we should "press towards the mark," which suggests that we have a future hope. The problem occurs when we allow the past or the future to rob us of today and what God can do through us today. My encouragement to you is to focus on what you can do today. Ask God to use your life today. Maybe God has given you a future vision of preaching in front of the masses, but today, ask God to put someone in your path with whom you can share the Gospel. Maybe you have a vision of a singing ministry that will impact thousands, but ask God to use your voice today so that you can share God's love. Maybe you have a dream of doing missions work, but ask God to use your hands today to reach out to someone who is in need in your local community. Maybe visions of pastoring a church fill your mind, but allow God use your life to mentor and feed the lamb he puts in your path today. What we fail to see is that our actions today will determine the future. That actions of many days like this one will determine our future. They are steps that will bridge the gap between what we are and what we will be. Let's ask God to give us a mindset for the present. Keep in mind, as we allow God to use us today, we're going to see the glory of God on a daily basis. What a powerful way to live. God bless.
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