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Here and Now

 

When I originally sat down to write this post, I was going to write about making plans for the future, setting goals. I was not only looking into 2013, but further into the future – years from now; 2014, 2015.

Living in the here and Now

I stopped as I realized that I am always planning for the future. There is nothing wrong with that, but I often catch myself planning for later instead of enjoying my here and now.

We too often make plans for the future and forget about the blessing of the moment. The day after Christmas, I was already running ideas through my head about what I wanted to do for Christmas 2013. At the time, I had not even decided what I was going to feed my children that morning for breakfast. Christmas 2013 can wait. Feeding my children can’t.

I am always making plans for things to be better than they are, instead of just enjoying how wonderful everything is at that moment. It may not always be perfect, but what is happening is happening now and how good it will be is often determined by how well we receive whatever the occasion.

Before I stop making plans for the future, I am going to make just one more plan and that is to enjoy the moment.  I am going to be Living in the Here and Now…

I am going to enjoy the moment of my children spreading every LEGO they own across the living room floor and building one of their incredible masterpieces instead of planning strategy as to how I am going to get them to clean up the mess. I am going to pull out every decorative topping we own and enjoy the moment of my daughter icing and decorating her cake instead of worrying about how I am going to remove food color stains from my kitchen counter. I am going to enjoy the moment of placing another load of laundry into the washing machine instead of planning what I will do with the extra time when my loads of laundry eventually dwindle.

I am going to be a little bit more spontaneous and pray that God shows me how to take it all in instead of planning each moment of the day to ensure perfection.

I am going to be thankful to God and enjoy my here and now and accept it however it comes at me, because the future will be here sooner than I know with or without my planning.

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19 Comments

  1. This is probably one of my most favorite posts EVER! This describes my life, perfectly! I am always looking ahead and rarely stop to enjoy this very moment. I really need to get better at this! Thank you for reminding me:)

    1. Scherrie D,
      Relax! I know as a mother that is sometimes difficult to do. It is amazing how well our children respond when we step back, just a little, from parenting (all of the correcting and disciplining) and step closer as a mother (more nurturing, loving, patient – a hard one, etc.).

    1. Tina,
      I am a planner too and love to have control, but know I am not the one who does. I believe that is another reason it has been good for me to step back and be more appreciative of the moments. They are more enjoyable and often better than any experience I could have planned.

  2. When my grandmother was facing down breast cancer she would often sit with my sister and chat. My grandmother was a neat nick, and still is. While doing some soul searching she told my sister while they sat at the kitchen table how much she had wax and polished this table and all of her other furniture, she was always cleaning her house, washing laundry and she did not take time to be with her kids and to just be mom. She wished she had done things differently.

    1. KB,
      This is a huge challenge for me. I not only want to enjoy the moment, but I want to do it w/my children (and my husband). As homeschoolers, we are usually w/our children all day long. I am w/them, but not always engaged w/them. There is a difference. Your grandmother’s words are ones to learn from. It is great that she is still living and has the opportunity to enjoy her life w/that knowledge because she can still make a difference.

      Praise God for her stomping on cancer. I have two special people in my life who have done the same, but still need prayer.

  3. this is a wonderful post! I am like that too. I always am planning for the future. I read this on my phone on google feed earlier but wanted to just come and say I thought it was a wonderful post.

  4. Being in the moment reminds me of the passages in Jeremiah 29 about establishing yourself where you are exiled — I think it’s because we are all sort of exiled in the physical world, and will one day be returned to the spiritual. Make the most of your time while you are here!
    4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

    1. Kat,
      This is so applicable to me in another area of my life; thinking outside of the little world in my mind. I am currently dealing w/that exiled feeling in the place where God has us now living. ‘Make the most of your time while you are here!’ Thank you so much for sharing that Word.

  5. Working on taking in the moment! I too, have to work at enjoying certain things my kids do versus being concerned about the mess. I love baking with them and they with me but this Christmas I noticed that flinging flour irritates me to no end as does showering sugar, spilling cinnamon, dumping dough and all the things that comes with kids in the kitchen. Then my husband reminded me…if its not fun for them, what’s the point. I mean its not home a high school home ec. class, its Christmas baking. Come on!!!!!! Relax!!! So I did. Great post!

    1. Stephanie,
      You made me smile. It reminds me of when my oldest was young. We came to a train track and the gate went down. I was so irritated because I didn’t want to wait. That wait was one of the most enjoyable experiences for my son (a train lover) as he watched each car (it was long too) go by. I learned some patience and closing gates at train tracks don’t bother me anymore because all three of my children still get a kick out of the experience.

      It Christmas baking; peace, love, joy, flour and showering sugar (very funny). Come on :-)!

    2. Stephanie,
      You made me smile. It reminds me of when my oldest was young. We came to a train track and the gate went down. I was so irritated because I didn’t want to wait. That wait was one of the most enjoyable experiences for my son (a train lover) as he watched each car (it was long too) go by. I learned some patience and closing gates at train tracks don’t bother me anymore because all three of my children still get a kick out of the experience.

      It’s Christmas baking; peace, love, joy, flour and showering sugar (very funny). Come on :-)!

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