So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. - Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
I am a planner, through and through. I plan everything in life—family gatherings, doctor appointments, travel, meals, projects, you name it. I still hold fast to the motto I gleaned from my childhood Girl Scout training—Be Prepared. This has generally served me well through the years, keeping me primed and ready for many of life's predictable events. But, while planning is good to a point, plans must be held lightly, knowing that the future is not ours to control. We never truly know what the next day or hour or even minute will bring.
What we have been given—the one part of the time continuum that we can experience—is not the future, not the past, but the present. This current moment—the one resting solidly in our lap right now. This irreplaceable second. This breath of air we’re breathing. This is ours to enjoy fully, though briefly.
And yet, how many moments do we casually pass or even overlook by dwelling on the past or projecting into the future? And how often do we get pulled into meaningless pastimes in front of our screens? Let’s make the most our minutes! Let’s take joy in the good around us! Let’s hug the people we love, sing with passion, climb a few mountains. God has given us this one, beautiful, unrepeatable life. Let’s inscribe gratitude indelibly on our hearts and really live!
CLOSING PRAYER
Father in heaven, You are the creator of time and all eternity. Thank you for blessing me with this life! I know that everything good in it is from Your hand and I am grateful. I ask for the ability to savor every good thing and to live fully with praise on my lips. In the name of Jesus, Amen.