Living in the Moment/God Moments

Good evening. I don't usually write to you on a Sunday night, but
nowadays I need to grab the time whenever I can get it. About two
weeks ago, I discussed the concept of "living in the moment".
Like all of you, I have heard this concept for living many times,
and I know I have used it, too. I know that I have egotistically
told others they need to do it. I think, though, this concept of
living in the moment is often too simplistic. Let me explain.

"Living in the moment" means that you are no longer living in the
past or worrying about the future. That's a good place to be. You
want to be entirely focused on what's going on right now, about
the things you are about to say right now, the things you need to
think about right now, and the decisions you are about to make
right now.

But I think when most of us say this, we make the assumption that
we're living in this moment by ourselves, that it is still all
about us, and for me at least, that's where I have begun to
depart. We're not living in the moment alone. If you are married,
you are living in the moment with your spouse. If you have close
trusted friends who care about you, then they are living in the
moment with you, too.

And if for some reason you aren't married and don't have any
close friends, then you are still living in the moment with
someone else beside you. You might not believe in him, feel his
presence, or ever acknowledge him. But here's the ironic part. I
don't think he cares how you feel. I think he's standing beside you
right now, with his invisible arm around your shoulder, and he
is ready and willing to live in the moment with you. All you need
to do is invite him to join you.

It took me a long time to come to this belief, and it required me
to change my belief system, admit life is not all about me, and
that I need the help of my higher power to get by. I need someone
else to live in the moment with me. Without his company,
guidance, friendship, forgiveness, grace and unconditional love,
my life would be pretty lonely and boring.

But with it, well, it's pretty downright amazing.

There is something else to be said about "living in the moment".
When we don't live in the moment, we waste a great deal of time
and energy fretting about either what we did or said or failed to
do or say in the past - OR - about what we're going to do or say
in the future.

Now I am the King of Worry, I admit it. When I die, I wouldn't
blame my family if they put on my tombstone, "Here lies Steven.
He worried about a lot of things, and most of them never came to
pass. He wasted a lot of his time and energy on things he could
not control."

I worry about my relationships with my wife and children, how the
kids are doing in school, my home, my car, my business and finances, my
lack of time for creative pursuits, the people I should have been
kinder to and the people who have hurt me. Does any of this sound
familiar, dear reader?

But worrying about the past and the future is a slap in the face
to God. He tells us not to worry in the Bible. He tells us he
will provide everything we need just as he does for the birds in
the sky and the lilies of the field. And he reminds us that
worrying never added one day to anyone's life.

When we worry, we are telling God, "You can't possibly fix this
problem, but I can ... just let me worry about it for a while and
sooner or later something will come to mind so I can fix it." How
egotistical of all of us.

So there you have it.

Stop worrying. About whatever it is that keeps you up at night.
Don't lie. I know you have something that keeps you awake -- we
all do. Relax. It's going to get better. Have hope.

I have a book I'd like you to read. It's called God Moments, and
it's written by a friend of mine, David M. Cornell. It's a quick,
easy read. It won't thump you across the face with Bible
scripture. It's not complicated. But it will make you think
harder about love, faith, and hope. And it may make you think
differently about your own personal walk with God. Go here:

http://www.god-moments.com


Keep the faith,


Steven

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