Talking Point Tuesday

GOD NEVER BLINKS: LESSON 21

"Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save anything for a special occasion. Today is special enough."

Quotable Quote:
"Each day is a precious gift to be savored and used, not left unopen and hoarded for a future that may never come."

Someday. A simple little word. A word that, at it's best, is full of hope and promise....a catalyst for fulfilling one's dreams. But a word that is often, at it's worst, the roadblock to finding happiness in the today. An antonym to "Carpe Diem!"....the opposite of "Seize the Day!"

How many of us have uttered these words:

"Someday when I am older and can (ride a bike/wear makeup/drive a car/have a boyfriend) I will be happy."

"Someday when I leave home and can (make my own rules/come home as late as I want to/eat whatever I like) I will be happy."

"Someday when I (get married/have kids) I will be happy."

"Someday when I (get a job I like/make more money/move to a better house) I will be happy."

"Someday when I have all my children (out of diapers/in school/out of their teens) I will be happy."

"Someday when I (get in shape/get organized/get sane) I will be happy."

Here's the rub: Put enough "somedays" together, and you miss the miracle of all of your "todays."
I know I've been guilty of bypassing the joy of the present by always looking ahead to the joy of the future. Trouble is, as soon as I reach the next step in my happiness journey, there's another step that takes it's place. In fact, I could potentially spend my entire life living in the "someday" until I'm in the nursing home complaining, "Someday when they stop serving coleslaw every Tuesday I'll be happy."

What does the Bible have to say about finding joy in the present?

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:11-12)

This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:24)

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

God is telling us through these verses that no matter what our circumstances are, we should be content now. That this day is worth rejoicing in simply because it is a gift of God. That even if we don't have the things we think we need to make us happy, we can still find joy in God our Savior.

We can waste our entire lives getting ready to live rather than living. It's been said that "the tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it." Let's remember that every day we are alive is a special occasion.....so break out the good dishes, wear the expensive perfume, spend time doing what you love, be aware of the blessings of the present. Because it's true that in the end, "how we spend our days is how we spend our lives."