And in the morning, long before daylight, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed. Mark 1:35 (AMP)
This Moment – The Today Series – Part 1
“And in the morning, long before daylight, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35 (AMP)
The idea of “tomorrow” – the day that everything falls into place – has its own kind of magic.
The approach of every New Year feels like “Sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun.” (That’s the song from Annie, FYI).
We put hope and excitement and wonder into the idea of a new year, a new day, a new chance, a new opportunity.
But for most of us, it doesn’t take long for that newness to be filled with busyness, ordinariness; the ebb and flow of the constancy of life. School runs, errands, work, kids, house, meetings, ideas, responsibilities, friends, family, lack of money, sickness – so much to do, so little time.
I slip back into looking forward to tomorrow and writing off today. “Everything will be better tomorrow…”
Hope for tomorrow can be the thing that gets me through hard days, but it also blinds me from living this moment fully. It operates as an excuse to let the day slip away.
But then, sometimes I fear tomorrow. It can seem like a dark and frightening place full of unknown and uncertain things. “What will happen, and to whom?” The dread of what ‘could be' fills my heart. To make sure that tomorrow is as safe as it can possibly be, I play today as safe as I can. ‘Safe’ turns into over-cautious, rigid and a refusal to do anything outside of the norm and average. I cage myself in with fear.
Will the sun come out tomorrow? Or will the darkness sink deeper?
Is the best yet to come? Will this year be the year everything falls into place? Who knows.
Perhaps, we are asking the wrong questions.
Whether we are experiencing our highest high, deepest low, or are walking through monotony, to this day, right now, at this moment, we can choose to give our full attention. Tomorrow is always just out of our reach; it’s eternally elusive. But today? We hold today in our hands. We have all the power that we believe we do to make this day as full as we can. Whether in grief, in joy or in between.
This doesn’t render the future useless, on the contrary. ‘Living in the moment' isn’t an excuse to throw morality or responsibility out the window. Jesus was a moment-liver, but also had a specific purpose and road to walk.
Tomorrow is built on our “today.”
When trying to figure out what to do next, how to start over, or just how to continue on, commit to this day. This is where you are. Right here, at this moment. Start now with what you have.
In his book, “How To Be Here”, Rob Bell said:
“If you feel stuck in your life, like it’s passing you by, like there’s something way better for you somewhere out there and you’re missing it, try this—try throwing yourself into the small things and repeating to yourself: This is where I start.”
In the fist chapter of his book, Mark wrote about an incredible day that Jesus had. As far as ministry was concerned, it was a standout. Beyond Successful. A PR's dream come true. The day started like any other ordinary Sabbath. Jesus went to the Synagogue to teach, but what happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
Go to Part 2 – Before Daylight »
Written by Lizzy Milani
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