Matthew 6:34
You might wonder if Jesus said these words with a twinkle in His eye and a playful smile. In other words, maybe he would say today, “Don’t waste a single minute worrying about stuff that’s coming. Trust me, today’s got enough on its own, so let all that go and enter in! Don’t miss life today!”
The young missionary, Jim Elliot, who lost his life along with the lives of four close friends while trying to befriend and witness to a native tribe of natives in Ecuador in 1956, shared a secret in his writings that is still powerful today. He simply said, “Wherever you are, be all there.”
Isn’t it hard to simply remain present and enter into whatever you are experiencing at the moment? If you have tried to get alone with God and quiet your soul, you will be aware of all the “noise” continually going on in your heart and mind. Our world has a way of always keeping us busy, even frantic, and we can feel the constant pull to be moving to the next thing that’s coming up.
But this way of life robs us of the richness of the moment; though we may be there in body, we are distracted or preoccupied and we miss the person or experience that’s right in front of us.
Author Brennan Manning shares a clever word play that can help us to value what’s going on in the moment and “be all there.” He says we should practice being present by learning to be “nowhere” else. He divides the word “nowhere” into “now” and “here.” Wherever you are, stay in the now and stay in the here; stay present.
As you embark on what may become one of your life’s most important journeys, completing your education to prepare you for future opportunities, the discipline of staying focused in the various areas of your life is very important. Don’t see this so much as a serious exhortation, but rather as an invitation to drink deeply of the days ahead!
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