Is it just me, or is time on the fast track? Where did 2016 go anyway? The older I get the faster one Christmas rolls into the next.
Sometimes I wonder, should I even put our decorations away? We had a wonderful Christmas, and I anticipate having a good New Year’s as well. I really hope the Buckeyes make it to the BCS championship. Time will tell.
On January 1st, when the banner changes from 2016 to 2017, a couple of annual traditions will be repeated by most people. I’m not talking about parades and football games, or pork and sauerkraut, but how we examine our shortcomings from the previous year and set goals (resolutions) for the next one.
I’m not a goal-oriented person and won’t be making any resolutions. Frankly, most New Year’s resolutions are discarded by Groundhog Day, when the expensive refills on our new, miraculous diet concoction are needed, or the initial thrill of the gym membership becomes drudgery.
Old habits are hard to break. Though we are prone to acknowledging problems from the past and to worry about what will happen in the future, we don’t dedicate much time to making changes in the present.
The issue, I think, is that we all tend to take time for granted. I’m guilty of that. Life can be so hectic and the pace so run, run, run that time can just float away without our even noticing it. It’s an art form to live consciously in the “now” moment.
Though I’m not good at it, I can offer an understanding of the two thieves who relentlessly work to steal “now” from you. Two thieves? Yes, namely today and tomorrow. When we allow our minds to be consumed with thoughts of the past or worries about the future, our now moments will disappear, never to be realized again. We cannot capture the now once it slips from the present tense to the past.
In Psalm 118 King David wrote a wonderful word of encouragement about living in the present. Verse 24 says: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The joy of living isn’t found in our yesterday’s or tomorrow’s, but in consciously acknowledging the time we have today and living in the now moment. Let’s take a look at these two insidious thieves bent on stealing our joy.
YESTERDAY: Although the past is over, we often revisit painful memories as if they’re about to be resurrected. That’s unfortunate. In Philippians (3:13b,14) we’re told to let loose of the past, saying: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”. Easier said than done, but for our own mental health we truly need to forget about what is behind us. If not, the past will haunt us, casting ominous shadows that darken our lives today.
We all know people whose life was seemingly placed on permanent hold after experiencing a trauma of some sort. Folks who lost somebody close to them, or were betrayed by a friend, or had a tragic accident. Sometimes the issue is an overwhelming sense of guilt from injustices we have committed against others. Recovery from these is linked to forgetting the past ordeals.
Though we cannot actually eliminate the memories, we can minimize their negative impact if we’re willing to forgive others and forgive ourselves. Forgiveness is a choice. If you’ve hurt others, you must ask them to forgive you. Forgiveness is key to letting go of the past and thwarting Yesterday’s impact on our experience now.
TOMORROW: Regarding that thief called Tomorrow, he wars to steal your joy by invoking worry about the future. Things like: will I ever get Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, or ALS; what will happen if I lose my spouse, my job, or my health; or what if ISIS can’t be stopped, or North Korea becomes a nuclear power, or a comet strikes earth? There are as many things to worry about as paranoid minds can conceive.
I’m not saying that there aren’t innumerable legitimate concerns, but why worry about them? What’s the point? Is there any benefit from worrying? No, not one. Will our worrying impact the ultimate resolution of a concern? Not a bit.
Jesus admonished us (Matthew 6:34), “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” In other words, if we’re busy dealing with the issues at hand today, tomorrow will be taken care of. My wife Robyn has a great philosophy that I try to practice: just do the next thing. Don’t be angst about how much needs done in the future, but concentrate on doing what’s on your plate now and then move to the next. Our doing things well in the present will assure a future that’s in order when it arrives. Like the old reggae song says: “don’t worry, be happy.” Amen to that.
The story is told of a sullen, downcast man who always moped around work, shoulders sloped over, eyebrows knit up, with never a good word to say to anyone about anything. One morning he arrived with a whole new countenance. He was smiling, there was zip to his step, and he seemed genuinely happy.
His coworker, Bill, asked him, “Joe, you look so different. What happened to you?”
Joe explained, “I was looking around online and found this amazing website called ‘Worry Wart, Inc.’ They agreed to take my concerns and to do my worrying for me. So, I’ve delegated all my worries to professionals, and I feel so much better.”
Bill replied, “Really? That’s absolutely amazing, and it obviously is working. How much does that cost you?”
“Well”, said Joe, “it’s pricey. The service costs $1,000 a week.”
“$1,000 a week? Are you kidding? That’s outrageous Joe. How can you afford it?”
And Joe answered, “I don’t know how, but that’s their worry.”
Did you know that God genuinely offers us a perk just like Worry Wart, Inc.? The Bible (I Peter 5:7) says: “Cast all your anxiety on him (Jesus) because he cares for you.” In prayer, God wants us to unload our worries and give them to Him. From His loftier vantage, God is able to manage our burdens much better than shouldering them ourselves. Just like a fisherman casting a line into a pond, we need to put our concerns on a hook, cast them heavenward, and cut the line. Then it’s, touché Tomorrow, my worrying is outta here.
In a nutshell, staying free from the thievery of Yesterday and Tomorrow boils down to staying focused on the moment. Acknowledge your now, and don’t lament about the past or fret about the future. This little poem summarizes the concept well:
I only have a minute
Only sixty seconds in it
I didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it
It was forced on me, I can’t refuse it
Will suffer if I lose it
Give account if I abuse it
Just a tiny little minute
But eternity is in it
So, shall we savor the moment and spend more time living in the now? I hope so. Happy New Year and best wishes for a rich and rewarding 2017.
Dave Hinman is Pastoral Elder at Dove Church Wilmington. Reach him at [email protected].
