Often we do not see what is staring us in the face. We miss the obvious because we are looking elsewhere. Our focus is not on the present, the here and now and the people who are a part of that present moment, but on something out there in the future which is yet to come. The Word of God is quick to tell us to stay in the present. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:34) And in another place it says, "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people, but as wise, making the most of the time..." (Ephesians 5:16) These things we know, but the present is still a hard place for us to live.
Every day I go about some farm chores which are really nothing more than tending to the animals. People who have dogs and cats as pets know about tending to animals entrusted to our care. Each day I make sure the cows have water, cast an eye down the fence line, and count them as they move about the pasture. The chickens, too, need water and feed each day. And so it goes. As far as I know none of them have any anxieties about the food and water coming to them each day. When they see me, they seem to know that I am the one who is caring for them.
Maybe we live in the future instead of the present because we have forgotten Who it is that is really caring for us and providing for us. When we come to a place of thinking tomorrow and tomorrow's provision is all about me, then we do have reason to worry. If we stay focused on God coming, we are free to find what it is in the present moment that is giving our life meaning and value. Knowing that each day is a thing of meaning and value is something lost in the midst of our hurrying and worrying about tomorrow. It is gift with which God seeks to bless us and it is too bad we spend so much time missing it.
Every day I go about some farm chores which are really nothing more than tending to the animals. People who have dogs and cats as pets know about tending to animals entrusted to our care. Each day I make sure the cows have water, cast an eye down the fence line, and count them as they move about the pasture. The chickens, too, need water and feed each day. And so it goes. As far as I know none of them have any anxieties about the food and water coming to them each day. When they see me, they seem to know that I am the one who is caring for them.
Maybe we live in the future instead of the present because we have forgotten Who it is that is really caring for us and providing for us. When we come to a place of thinking tomorrow and tomorrow's provision is all about me, then we do have reason to worry. If we stay focused on God coming, we are free to find what it is in the present moment that is giving our life meaning and value. Knowing that each day is a thing of meaning and value is something lost in the midst of our hurrying and worrying about tomorrow. It is gift with which God seeks to bless us and it is too bad we spend so much time missing it.
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