My Thoughts on 09/02/2021
You only have one life, make it count! This was a message that I heard a Franciscan gave recently.
It got me thinking about how important it is to live in the present moment. Some years ago when I was working with children, I remember one lad who we took horse riding. While he was on the horse he was talking about going to the river to throw stones. While he was at the rivers edge throwing stones he was talking about the ice cream he was going to buy. He was always looking for the next thing. He seemed to be unable to enjoy fully what he was experiencing in the present moment. For us we might also find ourselves so concerned and worried about the future or about what has happened in our past that we don’t live in the present.
Yes it is important set goals for the future and to review and learn from the past but the present moment is the only real moment. As one writer says “In truth the only time we can be truly happy is in the present moment, where the Lord finds us. He lives eternally in the present and is waiting for us to meet him. The Lord finds us in the here and now, in every circumstance that we live in our daily lives, in every encounter with our neighbour. The Lord is present for us and alive in the reality of each day and that is where we will find him.”
Jean Pierre de Caussade in his book Abandonment to Divine Providence, which was the most recommended book by spiritual directors for many decades, has a profoundly simple message: “Embrace the present moment as an ever-flowing source of holiness.”
Lord, help me today to dedicate myself fully in what I am living. Be with me in mind, body and heart in everything I do. Help me to live fully in the present, here and now just as I am.
