Monday, 14 July 2008
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Focusing on Tomorrow, Forgetting About Today
I have discovered I am easily distracted from my Savior by things that may someday be. What is Tolkein's quote from The Fellowship of the Ring? "Things that were, things that are, and things that may yet come to pass..." Dreaming of tomorrow has proven a good tool for Satan to use against me. My three new fish are going to get very big, which is why I hesitated to buy them months ago, yet in Friday's state of mind, I forgot that my 4 foot-long tank will be too small in a couple years. It is in my mind already to someday purchase a larger tank.
Yesterday I went to Petco to buy ferret litter and went browsing through the aquatic section. There I saw a contemporary 90-gallon aquarium. Immediate love...or rather, lust. When I came home and looked at my beautiful tank, I was hit with something very near disgust.
"Jesus," I immediately said, "Help me to not grow dissatisfied with my present aquarium. Teach me to be content with what I have today." It is good to look to the future and hope for better things, but when that hope causes you to be unhappy with your current situation, recognize that is not from God.
A few months ago, I anticipated so much the day that I would be married with children that I failed to realize how blessed I am now. I hated the loneliness and boredom that living by myself produces. Yet, by the grace of Jesus I began to understand that this time of being single and alone and childless is a huge blessing...one that, after I'm married, I will never have again.
I kept saying, "Someday I'll have my husband and my kids, I'll have my house and my dogs and all the things I can't seem to be satisfied without..." Yet in having that hope, which is good and a desire I feel God has given me, I wasn't enjoying what I have today: tons of time in which I get to spend with him. Time to sleep in if I want, take a nap, live by my schedule alone, eat when and what I want...
What a blessing it was the day I realized this! What victory it was! Yet, simply because I've realized it doesn't mean the devil won't keep trying.
Do you ever get so preoccupied with the future and what you want that you forget to appreciate what you have today?
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Comments (18)
I like this post a LOT...
That's cool.
@droftreeology@xanga - Sole possesion of the remote-control and full-spread on the bed: two incredibly wonderful things!
I recently ended a burgeoning relationship with a young man because he's agnostic...but before I realized that, I remember thinking, "God, I just started to really enjoy being alone..."
I'm like you, can't wait for God to introduce me to my guy, but when I do meet him, I am not looking forward to letting go of my "freedom." --Miss Goldenrod
@Miss_Goldenrod - well, marriage is sanctioned by God, so i'm sure He'll make up for whatever freedoms you lose with something else wonderful. :)
I thought fish only grow bigger if they're in a bigger tank. I've heard that, maybe it's just a myth.
Wow - that is awesome! I know exactly what you mean, we never know what tomorrow is going to bring and worrying about it will only take our enjoyment off of what we have today.
Oh wow. Just recently, I felt like I was always waiting. Waiting for one thing to end so that I could start another thing. The big thing right now is college. I feel like when I finally graduate college I'll be able to start my life. What twisted thinking?!
I have learned the enjoy the present journey and not look only towards the journey of tomorrow. There is such a freedom in that. I am not worried about what tomorrow will bring. I am focusing on walking with the Lord in the Today!
I have big dreams and desires in my heart for my future. I hope/pray that I will get to live them out, but I am not worrying about them now. I cannot bring them here any sooner. I think that if I am focused on the future, I will miss what is happening in the present.
preoccupied... no...
driven for... yes...
there is a difference... for me... just so long as I don't get obsessed with a vision for my future that i cement it to the point where I hinder God's freedom to move in the way He sees fit... all I need Him to do is bring that girl back to me... in Jesus' name... and not discard what I desire Him to do as I desire to team up with Him on something...
preoccupied... no....
driven for... yes...
I was just talking to a friend about this last night.
I'm only sixteen, but I feel so close to life. I have feet that are very itchy right now, and all I can think about is when I'm in college, and after, when I get to live out of a backpack, travel around all the time, and tell people about Jesus (I want to be a travelling missionary). I keep leaving for about a week with my church for camps and mission trips and it's never enough. I feel like I need to leave for a long time, and start my life as an independant person.
I'm trying to live for today, but it's been really hard lately. I need to focus more on enjoying the carefree days as a teenager that can't drive. I don't have to worry about gas, bills, a husband, or any of that crap. I need to just enjoy what I have right now, no matter how excited I am for my future. I need to be taking responsibility I have right now and use it to prepare.
That's something I really need to work on right now...
WORD.
I like to think ahead too but then I always forget to appreciate what God has provided me with today. I think we have to remember that today is as much of a blessing as tomorrow because He made it and we should rejoice in it.
"Today is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
:)
Thanks, I needed to hear this! I need to be reminded of this all the time...i'm always in the future and forget to be in the present...
this post is great, thank you so much!
I really like your attitude about your current situation (being still single despite dreaming about marriage and kids), as you found the way to be happy and content in spite of the fact that things did not exactly turn out in your life as how you had anticipated.
I think the only way to happiness is recognising the current blessings in our lives, and not comparing our lives constantly to other people's. We will always find somebody who seems to be better off, anyways....
It is good to make plans and plan ahead, but being content in the present is the most important thing. Live for one day at a time, seize the moment, but keep your eyes on the future, this is my motto!
@mkenyon719@xanga - It's a myth...depending on the type of fish. I bought clown loaches, and in my 33-gallon tank they'll stop growing at about 5 to 7 inches each (when I brought them home, they were only 3/4 of an inch; 5 months later, they're pushing 2 inches). Seven inches would still be too big for the tank, and I have three of them in addition to the 18 others. In a larger tank, the loaches can grow to about 12 inches in length or more. I'm rambling...well, there's your science lesson for today.
@Be_A_Revolution@xanga - I had that problem too, thinking that in college, my life would start. Then it was after graduation, then when I got a really good job, then marriage, then kids...when would that ever stop? You have the right attitude about the future.
@theycallmecrazy7@xanga - You are so fortunate to realize that at your age. I won't think about the past decade for myself that I spent looking to where I am now. The worst thing about it was when I was 16, I planned on being married with children now. I don't have that, and I had to spend the last 4 years trying to convince myself I'm not a failure. Now I feel that I've just learned to enjoy the lack of responsibilities you listed...and the next thing I know, I'll be meeting my guy and getting married!
Have fun, and have fun on your trip. You'll be paying bills with rest of us very soon...which you've heard, of course, but once I started that grind, I won't lie and say it wasn't liberating. It was.
@Timi_in_England@xanga - "I think the only way to happiness is recognising the current blessings in our lives, and not comparing our lives constantly to other people's."
Wonderful way of putting it. I recently told someone when it comes to finding God to not look for him in human Believers but to look to Jesus. I think it can go the same way here: Jesus' life was actually not that great: poor guy born to poor parents in some back woods-town, spending his early life being a blue-collar guy, his ministry being viewed as a quack by mostly everyone, followed around by a group of doubting fishermen and tax collectors and avoiding being stoned and murdered before the appointed time..... Compared to even Jesus' earthly life, I have things really good!
Yep, just did. I remembered reading this post and had to reread it for encouragement. Thank you!
Man, what a great post! I do the same thing all the time! When we have kids, then... or when C is done with remodeling the kitchen, then.. It's so hard to remember not to be preoccupied with the past and future. My thing is that I think about all the time I wasted not savoring my time with my roommates before I was married, or with my family. The thing is, I'm married now and he takes up a lot of my time, but I need to make time for my friends and family. My life is so good right now, I'm so blessed. It's really hard to remember, but it's true! Thank you for posting about this, and good luck!
I like the post. so true...if we keep on planning about the future we might miss out wonderful things that God has in stored for us in the present.