Tuesday, July 21
So, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its
own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
—Matthew 6:34
They may make light conversation with such
greetings as "Hello, how are you doing?" but then right off the
bat—before we can even give a full response—they launch into a full
accounting of themselves. Sometimes the only option we have as they ramble
on and on is wishing we had some popcorn for their verbal slide show.
Yet, it's important to realize that we're like that
too. We're so focused on what's happened to us or what we hope
will happen to us, that we can't moderate our comments. It is as
if we know we need to progress spiritually, but we make decisions by default
and find ourselves drifting in time.
While we're consumed with what
has happened to us in the past, or worried about our future, the present
moment goes by without notice. We just can't seem to place
ourselves right here, right now. Perhaps, this is why so many
religious traditions urge the practice of mindfulness, awareness, and
attention.
We know that we can't change the past, or manipulate the
future; we have only the ability to change each moment. This is
the power that God has given to us. The power to encounter each
situation and circumstance with either a "yes, or a no"—to respond to each
circumstance in the moment that it arrives.
Even then, the full and clear manifestation of our response will not be revealed to us until some uncertain time in the future. There is no "cheat sheet" we can consult in order to see if our answer is accurate. We have only the movement of the Spirit in our soul.
And that, in the eyes of heaven, is all
we need.
Today is enough for today. In fact, right now is
enough for right now.
Gracious God, help me quiet the noise in my mind, that I may be centered on the moment right before me.
