One day at a time

We all worry about the future. Rich people don’t feel rich enough and keep trying to earn more. Poor people long for the day when they will be as rich as the people they work for, or richer. Some people have given up on a better life and so decide that nothing will ever change for them. They see opportunities but are chained by indifference to their status. Their status is never updated, except on social media. Some who live in the slums leave their beds every morning in search of just enough. They have given up on abundance, they have succumbed to the reality of hand-to-mouth. Meanwhile, their teens are busy giving out their few shillings to operators of computer game shops. Their children have weird long names and their dressing is inspired by Jamaican musicians and dancers. The churches around them tell them about heaven, that it will definitely be a better place. They serve God gladly and wait for the next project to start so they can leave the slum for a while.

Most of us would be happy to have a sneak peek into the unknowns of tomorrow. I would love to know where I will be in the next 2-5 years. I would love it if God would appear vividly in a dream and do those burning bush things. Or better still, as we worship in church, God just pauses everything and I am the only one still within my senses, and then he speaks. But I also realize something scary. The people who receive such clear communication from God, receive extremely heavy assignments. So I am learning to be wise in my asking. I am not asking God for things that would cripple me. He knows my limits anyway. He knows how far I can go and what I can accomplish. And he knows the type of mission or location that would destroy me. He knows when to move me and when to keep me hemmed in.

So as I prayed, I made no promises. I didn’t offer my life as a martyr. I asked for wisdom. I asked that I would be able to discern God moments and to obey in small things. As I prayed, I started thinking about how far my mind travels. I need to stop living in the future. It will be greatly shaped by today’s decisions. But how can I make wise decisions if I am not living in the present. So I have decided to live in the present. I cannot do anything about the past. It already happened. But I can do a lot in the present, and I can be faithful with my present assignments. This will allow me to enjoy the daily benefits sent my way. One day at a time. I am living in the present, one day at a time, but I am doing so with the knowledge that I am shaping the future one day at a time.