Living In The Moment

To live in the moment is very easy to do. Things are constantly changing, and with so many things demanding our time and attention, it seems there is always something immediate to think or worry about. My favorite analogy is that it is like trying to fill twelve holes with ten fingers. Most people who have tried it would agree it can be very stressful. Medical science tells us that stress is harmful to our overall well-being. Among it's symptoms are headache, back ache and neck pain, depletion of energy, aggravation of peptic ulcers, and memory disturbances, to name a few. Definitely, not good.

The reality is that we do have to live in the moment, but the degree to which we allow things to impact us is what we can control. One way to do this when we're challenged by the events of the moment is to look at the big picture. This was the principle Jesus applied when he told the disciples: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26, KJV). I would suggest that such an approach can be applied to any area of our lives. No matter what we are faced with, it fades into insignificance in the light of God's inexhaustible provision.

Despite knowing that fact, most of us however are like Peter. When Jesus challenged him, in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, to step out of the boat, Matthew tells us: "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" (14:30). He was overwhelmed by the moment, but "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (v.31).

It takes faith to live in the moment, because to survive the moments we have to keep our eyes on the big picture. Just because we are confused doesn't mean God doesn't know what to do. Faith; in your challenging moments, how much of it do you use? How much of the big picture do you see?