Live in the ‘here and now’

God wants us to appreciate the season we are in; to live in the ‘here and now’. Some people live only for the future, saying ‘I’ll be happy when…’ Other people live in the past. Solomon said to them: ‘Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this’ (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV). The New Yorker magazine once printed a cartoon that had two monks in robes and shaved heads sitting side by side on the floor. The younger one, with a quizzical look on his face, is facing the older one, who’s saying: ‘Nothing happens next. This is it.’ But that’s exactly what it means to live in the here and now. We aren’t waiting for something else to happen, we aren’t distracted by anything around us, we aren’t trying to escape mentally to another time. We’re fully alive because we’re experiencing the present moment! God may have done great things for us in the past, and we’re trusting Him to do great things in the future, but His presence, His power, His goodness, His favour, His blessing, and all that He is, can only be experienced in the present. Even if the present is unpleasant, when we dwell too much on the past or the future as a way of escape, we might miss what God’s saying or doing for us right now. Do you feel like you’re living in a shell to protect yourself from the pain of life? Do you guard yourself by retreating deeper into your shell, and only coming out for things that are pleasant, predictable, and safe?’ If that sounds familiar, reflect on these words today: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’