Living in the Moment

Last Monday, we received some devastating news that immediately broke our hearts and caused our stomachs to churn.  A friend from a previous church was killed in a car accident.  This lady, close to my own age, leaves behind three children, many broken hearts, and memories of better days than today.  Nobody wants or expects news like this.  It’s tragic, shocking, and painful all at the same time. 

When I hear of accidents like this, my thoughts always go to my oldest son who is just beginning to drive.  I can’t imagine how that kind of news would affect me, should something happen to him.  It makes me want to go to extreme measures by locking all the doors, shutting all the windows, fortifying the gates, and not letting my family out of my sight!  Now, I know that I can’t do that (eventually I would have to go looking for food), but that is how I feel.  If I knew that something bad was going to happen to someone I love then I would do anything to keep that from happening!  So would we all.  But, throughout our journey in this life, we are constantly reminded that we are not in control.  Truth be told, I can’t protect my family from tragedy any more than I can keep it from happening to me.  I can take preventive measures, but there is no surety in them.

Life is uncontrollable and unpredictable.  We’re hopeful that the sun will rise tomorrow, but we’re not promised it.  A seemingly sure victory can easily be snatched up in defeat.  Our happiest moments can quickly turn around in an instant.  There are no guarantees.  The only thing that we know for sure is that each breath that we take is closer to our last.  It can be quite depressing, if you allow your thoughts to dwell on it.

So what should we do?  Take away our children’s car keys and line their rooms with bubble wrap?  As tempting as that may sound, it’s not really feasible nor is it responsible on our part.  There are risks that we have to allow our children to make in order for them to learn and grow.  For instance, if we don’t let them drive and don’t teach them how to drive safely they can do more harm to themselves and others in the long run.  But what’s the answer?  Where is the balance between risk and fear?  It’s found in trust.  Not trust in ourselves or in society, but trust in God. 

As a follower of Christ, we live our lives on the basis of trust in the Lord.  When we come to Him by faith, we are acknowledging Him as the Lord of our lives.  We are taking the “control” out of our hands and trusting Him to lead and govern our lives as He desires.  Now I’m not saying that we should expect God to keep all of the painful and tragic moments at bay.  What I am saying is that, as we trust Him, we should expect Him to work everything out according to His will.  As Lord of our lives, God directs our lives in such a way that no matter whatever tragic moments we may face they will ultimately wind up benefiting His Kingdom.  And, even though we don’t understand it, we must trust that God is working out a far greater plan than we can see with our limited vision.

But where does that leave us?  What are we to do, knowing that tragedy could be around the corner?  We are to live in the moment we have.

When we focus all of our time and effort trying to control situations that are out of our control, we often miss the moment that we are living in right now.  We need to learn to make the most of every second of every hour of every day!  When we live in the moment, we don’t have to worry about the future because it’s not our focus and it’s out of our control.  When we live in the moment, we don’t have to worry about what might happen because we’re focused on what is happening now.  Enjoy the laughter of your children, the companionship of your spouse, and camaraderie of good friends.  Praise God for those moments because they are often fleeting.  Yes, some moments are full of pain and regret.  But those moments, too, are moments to embrace so that we can learn from them and help others as they walk along the same path.

Don’t miss the moment that God has ordained for you right now!