The Present

How many hours do you spend thinking of the future? Last night I was reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and it brought up an interesting point about our thoughts of the future.

"He (God) therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the present. For the present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which... in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present-either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Him, or else obey the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure."

Lewis goes on to qualify that we should be concerned with the future, in as much as planning for the next day or next week goes, but our focus, our aim is in the present. I had never thought of it that way before and it hit home. Too often I worry about the future, and do not concern myself or worry about what I am doing right now! I think we need to adjust our thinking to bring ourselves to proper perspective. Right now, I am to be doing the work that God has given me. Right now, I am to be acting on His Word. Steven Curtis Chapman expresses these thoughts very well in his song Miracle of the Moment: (go here if you would like to listen to it).

It's time for letting go
All of our "if onlies"
Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it
Would we really want to go change everything

Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

There's only One who knows
What's really out there waiting
And all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
Let them soften your heart

And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go
Let it go, yeah
You gotta let it go

And listen to your heartbeat

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now (here and now)
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle
Of the moment

No, we cannot control the future, but God does. We don't need to worry about the future because we can trust that God is in control of it all. So, plan and prepare for the future, but don't live in it because God has called you to live in the present and be acting in the present.