Donna Naborsyour Spiritual jewelry box.

 

Living for Tomorrow, but What about Today?

I’m a planner, always planning for the next trip or the next event. I have a list prepared for what to do tonight, what to do this weekend, when to pay which bill, and on and on. I look forward to accomplishing the next task and then look forward to what I can plan next. Calendars and lists and spreadsheets are my friends.

It’s great to plan, to look forward to your next accomplishment, and then to relax. Weekends are a wonderful time to recover from a week of responsibilities. HOWEVER (you knew it was coming), what about today? In all our living for tomorrow or next week or next month or next year, we can forget about today. When we forget about today, we LOSE today.

Do you remember as a child wishing you were in high school? Do you remember waiting for the day you could drive? Can you remember a time when you couldn’t wait for your child to stand up alone or walk? Was there a time you couldn’t wait for them to drive themselves to activities? What about the teenage years when you couldn’t wait for them to graduate? Or looking forward to college graduation and that pay raise you get when your children find a job and start supporting themselves?

In our longing for the next steps, did we remember to enjoy holding those babies before they were scrambling to get out of our arms and walk on their own? Did we enjoy watching our children dance, play sports, play in the band, work on a science project, or just eat pizza at a slumber party in our living room? Did we enjoy the conversations in the car when we were their taxi drivers?

We hear people counting down the days until the weekend, until the next holiday, until graduation, or until retirement. What about all those days in between? If we aren’t careful, those days waste away. I’m concerned that in living for tomorrow, we lose the time we have today.

I hear it every week in my office.

“It’s Monday again (insert sad face here).”

“It’s Wednesday. Halfway to the weekend.”

“It’s Friday. The weekend is almost here, and I have two days off from work.”

I have to ask. What will we do with those two days? More important, what did we do with the last five? If we spend our workdays just getting by and living for the weekend, then we have wasted five days we can never get back. That time is lost.

As I get older, I’m thinking more about the fact that I have more years behind me than ahead of me. I don’t want to waste a day (definitely not five of them).

While preparation is good, I can get lost in the excitement and longing for a future moment and lose the blessings of today.

What can we do during these five days each week that will make us glad to live for each day? Let’s start by asking three questions.

1. Ask God a question each morning, “Lord, what do you want me to do today?” Then live for the day at hand, anticipating God’s presence and direction.
2. Ask the first person you see (not family), “How can I pray for you today?” Then pray for them as God brings them to mind. The opportunity to be a part of someone else’s life is priceless.
3. Ask yourself a question too. “What can I do today that will bring a sense of accomplishment?” When we focus on things that will fulfill our purpose, even if it’s just a small step toward a larger goal, we impact those around us.

Three questions. Ask God, ask others, ask yourself. If you want to live dangerously, you could even ask these questions on the weekend.

Don’t live each day waiting for a future moment. Live for today’s moment and see what God has in store. Tomorrow it’s guaranteed that the sun will rise, but you are only guaranteed this moment. Don’t let it pass you by.

I’d love to hear about your experiences this week.

“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let’s rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NASB).