“We get so focused on then and there that we don’t really enjoy here and now.”

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2015-10-06) from his book, If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God's What If Possibilities (Kindle Location 1645). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Margaret and I have been going through an unsettling time in the last month. A little over 7 years ago Margaret had cancer surgery and everything turned out great but we had this month a situation that made us think that it may have come back. We have since found that it hasn’t but we had some difficult days there for awhile. On one of those days we both were going through some what if despair. At one point I said this is not right. If you do have cancer then let’s not waste one hour of our time together in despair and if you don’t then let’s not waste one hour we have together in despair.

But we live so much in the then and there that we miss the here and now. Mark says, “No matter what stage of life you’re in— enjoy the journey! If you need what’s next to make you happy— no matter what next is— you suffer from destination disease. We get so focused on then and there that we don’t really enjoy here and now.”

He goes on, “When I go to college, when I graduate from college, when I get a job, when I get a promotion, when I retire, when I get married, when we have kids— then I’ll be happy. No, no you won’t. It’s a mirage! If you aren’t happy where you are, a vacation won’t solve your problems. If you aren’t happy with who you are, Botox won’t work.”

He then says, “As I see it, there are two proverbial roads you can take. The shortcut is the path of least resistance. It’s well traveled, but it’s like rush-hour traffic in DC. No fun! The scenic route is the road less traveled. It takes longer, and it’s an uphill climb both ways. But the view from the top is spectacular. How do you get there? The same way you get anywhere: one step at a time.”

Yes, you need goals. But please, please don’t waste each moment of your day with despair. Remember, this day, this moment was made by God, so stop, enjoy it and be glad.

So what is your day like today?

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog