3 Reasons Why You Should Live in the Moment
As Christians, we are often taught to be eternity minded. Colossians 3 tells us to set our minds “on the things above” rather than the things of earth. And Paul often reminded the early believers of the future that awaited them to inspire them and give them hope during their difficult circumstances. But I wonder if in our attempts to be “eternity minded,” we’ve become entirely “future-minded” instead. While it’s a good thing to have hope for our future, we certainly don’t want to miss out on what God has for us in the present. We need to live in the moment and embrace each day as an opportunity to grow and live out the call of God on our lives.
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- We don’t want to be so anxious to get out of here, that we forget why we’re here in the first place. No one ever said that life was easy. It was Jesus who said that in this world we would have trouble. But we are here on this earth for a reason. We are the church, the hands and feet of Christ. We have a mission to reach the world for Jesus and to advance His Kingdom. So if we spend all our time thinking only of our heavenly future, we miss what we’re called to do in the present.
- We don’t want to miss out on God’s blessings here and now. Sometimes we find ourselves so distracted by all the evil in the world, that we forget the good things of life. God has blessed us with so much! In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote about this very thing. We spend much of our lives working hard, and life has its share of seasons, both good and bad. In the wisdom given to him by God, he challenged his readers to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. – Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (NIV)
- Living in the moment allows us to take one day at a time and abide in God’s peace. I’m a planner at heart. I have more to-do lists than I know what to do with! Often I find myself thinking so far ahead that I forget to enjoy the day I am currently living. I especially do this with my kids. I plan so many fun things for them in the future that I forget to enjoy them now in the little things.
The truth is that even Jesus told us to take life one day at a time. That doesn’t mean we can’t plan for the future, but we don’t want to be so focused and worried about the future that we ruin the present.
So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
Live in the moment and embrace each day as a gift from God to be all He created you to be and to accomplish His plan for your life.
*Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
**Photo by Ben White at ChristianPics.co
