I go through each day not acknowledging that THESE are the moments that make up my life, RIGHT NOW. These moments, not tomorrow, and not yesterday either. I wake up each day not actively, intentionally, writing the story of my life.
I approach things like I am waiting for my life to begin. Waiting until I have met a man. Waiting until I have kids. Waiting until I have lost fifteen lbs. Waiting until I am a success professionally. Waiting until the summer is over and I am not out-of-town all the time. Waiting until I have reconciled with an old friend. Waiting until 5 o’clock. Waiting until everything is in order.
Or I find myself relishing, over-analyzing, even reliving, days gone by. Back when I had summer vacations. Back when I was in college. Back when I lived in Alabama. Back when I dated the boy that I thought was “the one.” Back when I was a size 4. Back when friendships were simple. Back when I felt like the world was my oyster.
But focusing on the past is futile because those stories have already been penned; and focusing on the future is needless because those stories may never come to be.
This is my life. Right now. All these little moments that make up today. My story is being written RIGHT NOW. And it’s my job to get to make sure that it is an epic story.
“This is the day that Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
Do you struggle with this? How do you stay focused on living in the present?
P.S. – You must go right now and buy a copy of Don Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It doesn’t release until September 29, but it is well worth the wait. It will get you thinking about your life from a entirely new perspective. It is a must read!
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