Live now

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
Jesus, Matthew 6:34

Wrong thinking can steal our joy. I realised recently that I was spending a lot of time thinking about the future – which way will it go? How will it be? Theorising and meditating on the future like this simply becomes worrying. Such thinking is frustratingly futile and joy is the most unlikely experience or thought to have.

For a long time, God’s people lived in exile. Instead of enjoying their homeland they were captive in Babylon. And they weren’t enjoying it. God told them to trust Him and wait for His timing. But they could only focus on what they had in the past and what they were hoping for in the future. Prophecy came from Jeremiah, recorded in chapter 29 of his book, that they should start living – really living – there in Babylon; marry and have kids, work hard, pray for things to go well there.

Live now. Live today. Living in the past or the future will do our heads in.

I was just constructing a lego truck with my boy. My mind in default mode easily went to thinking about what I could be doing next – start making brekky, read my TIME magazine, finish blogging. I had to stop myself and realise that I can live now and enjoy the moment without thinking about what comes next. I don’t have to multi-task.

Worrying about the future wastes our time and dishonours our Father God who deserves our trust.

Whatever the future, whatever the details – God is there. He knows and He is not freaking out. So I am free to enjoy the present.

Live now. Have a joy-filled day.