The Power of Presence

Every time I celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other significant 'life' event I am always amazed at how fast life seems to go by. Sometimes I feel like I want things to slow down a little... at least when things are going my way.....when life's circumstances seem good...at least to me.

Since 2008 it seems like life is getting a little more confusing. There is so much uncertainty... jobs are hard to find... the economy is not good. When people you love and care about are struggling you want to help in some tangible way. We can give of our resources and time but what about advice & counsel concerning direction and purpose?

Many years ago I read a quote by a man who died quite young doing what he felt led to do with his life. His name is Jim Eliot. Jim was someone who loved God's grace so much that he went to a hard place on the planet (the jungles of Ecuador) to convey a message of love. In his lifetime it seemed he was a failure. He was killed before a single person could understand or receive the message of Christ love he was carrying. Later, his widow and children continued the work of loving the people in the jungles of Ecuador... and many received God's grace..... his death was not in vain.... nor was his life.

The Jim Eliot quote I want to share with you in this brief blog is this, "Wherever you are, be all there." Life is not primarily made up of "big" events or noticeable achievements. It's made up of every single small portion of time alloted to each one of us. None of us know for certain how long our clocks are wound for. There is mystery involved in our span of life. One thing is certain.... there is no more foolish or wasteful person than the one who will not live fully in the moment..... The NOW of life.

I am deeply saddened by people who are always living in the wrong dimension of life. They are either stuck in the past or consumed by an unknown future. They struggle with embracing life moment by moment.... and thus never really live at all. The simple but profound mysteries and deep beauties of life are not discovered either by focusing on the past or the future. Life's gifts are most enjoyed by people who throw themselves .... immerse themselves in the precious gift of today. They refuse to be swallowed up by the demons of the past or the ghosts of tomorrow. They walk hand in hand with the God who created them..... for NOW.

Faith allows God to heal the past, forgive our failures and ensure our future will be God's ultimate purpose for our life. When we understand who he is (God) we can fully become who we are in the moment by momentous gift we call the Present.

Jim