Talking Point Tuesday

God Never Blinks: Lesson 17

YOU CAN GET THROUGH ANYTHING LIFE HANDS YOU IF YOU STAY PUT IN THE DAY YOU ARE IN AND DON'T JUMP AHEAD.

Quotable Quote: "God isn't present in the past or the future. The great I AM is in the present moment. When I claim that presence, I can get through anything today."

Living in the moment isn't easy. I spent today monitering my thoughts to see how much time I actually spend regretting the past or worrying about the future. To my dismay, I discovered that I wasted far too many moments looking backward and forward and not enough just looking around me.

Just today I spent time regretting the following:
1. Letting a child get away with too much in the past which results in worse behavior in the present.
2. Something I said to someone that may have been misinterpreted....two weeks ago!
3. The things on my to-do list from last week that are still there this week.
4. Buying something two days ago that cost only $3 but was definitely not in any way a need.
5. My lack of self-confidence in social situations.

And just today I spent time worrying about the future:
1. Should I send Kian to Kindergarten or hold him back a year?
2. Will our property sell before hell freezes over?
3. What things do I need to put on tomorrow's to-do list?
4. How will I survive summer vacation with children who look at me blankly when I tell them to "entertain yourselves"?
5. Dear God, please let no one I know be at the waterpark next week where I will sacrificially don a swimsuit so that my children can have someone to hang onto in the wave pool.

This is only a smattering of the thoughts that race through my head each day and threaten to keep me from noticing the beauty around me. Beauty like the laughter of my kids as they spray each other with the hose in the back yard. Beauty like the snow-covered mountains surrounded by endless blue sky that I saw as I drove over the hill. Beauty like the sound of the birds singing as I spent a few minutes reading a book on the deck. These are the things I don't want to miss out on. And in truth, "It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis." (Margaret Bonnano)