Be present.
That has been on the top of my mind for the last few months. I am at a time in my life when everything around seems to be flying by. While still very young, I think I am at the age when you start to realize that life isn’t waiting for you. Things are happening fast and if I’m not careful I will wake up in twenty years wondering what happened. For my generation, the millennial, we are constantly bombarded with learning, growing, getting better, moving up, new jobs, marriages, kids, etc. It seems like life is flying all around. And lately, being amidst many of these things I have tried to be intentional about noticing my life. Staying present in each moment. Even if that moment is uncomfortable or tough. For me, it is tougher to think that an amazing life event could go by without me enjoying it. Without taking it all in.
Do you think it’s possible to enjoy every moment of your life? Are we allowed to slow down long enough to try? Are we able to slow down?
Those are some of the questions I have asked myself. Can I truly be present for things happening around me? These questions have helped to strengthen my relationship with Jesus in a real way. For a lot of people, it is difficult to know what to pray for or how to pray it. I think this makes it easy. “God, help me to be present.” That’s it. And then be crazy intentional about staying in the moment.
I do this daily. Whether it’s a meeting at work, an interaction with an employee, conversation with friends, or most recently my wedding. I didn’t want to miss a second of any of those times in my life. Sometimes it was not a conversation I wanted to have with an employee but it had to happen and I myself needed to learn from it. It not only helps me to stay God-focused in times that may be tough to see Him, but it also helps me grow. We have a unique opportunity to take notes from the lessons in our lives, if we do just that, view it as a lesson. God shows up in everything but it takes our ability to remain present, to truly see Him in those moments.
Isaiah 43:19 MSG
19 Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.
I think God is a show-off. There I said it. I think He is constantly hoping we will notice Him. Constantly saying things like He did in Isaiah, “Don’t you see it? There it is!” And we just keep missing it.
I went to church yesterday and heard something that resonates with this message. My pastor was referring to the Lord’s Prayer and this line in particular, “Give us this day our daily bread…” His point was this, stay focused on today. Ask God to show up daily. And not to let our past or worries about the future dictate our present moments. “Give us this day.” That is the key. That is staying present.
Let this be a reminder that Jesus is IN all things. It is our job to seek Him. To take our time. To show up. A lot of times we ask God to show up in some big way, but we don’t actually show up to see it. What really gets me is how simple this is. All I have to do is take one breath. Stop for two seconds and realize what is going on around me. Stop talking and listen. Acknowledge the world around me. This is not life-changing in practice but the results could be.
What are you missing because you haven’t stopped to smell the roses? Where in your life is God saying, “Don’t you see it? There it is!”
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, take a breath right now. The world won’t end. You have the time. There’s a solid chance God is waiting to show you something.
9/9/18 Weekly Content:
“Start Something That Matters” – Blake Mycoskie
“Be Diligent” – Warren Wiersbe
That Sounds Fun Podcast – Episode 98, 99
Going Scared Podcast – Aug. 30 episode
Matthew Chapters 4 and 5 – Maxwell Leadership Bible
