Years ago, I learned a lesson the hard way. Mired in depression and struggling with the fact that my life at that moment was good, but not best by my own definition, I lost a huge chunk of what was truly precious to me: my joy.
I lost whole days and weeks and months because I forgot the truth that God so patiently sows into my heart new every morning:
This is it.
You are given this, here, now.
You may be given tomorrow. But there are no promises.
This is the moment when your toddler wants to sit on your lap. Let him.
This is the quiet space between you sliding out of bed and the whole house waking. Savor it.
This is the chaos as everyone talks at once around the table. Embrace it.
Life is full of wants, of shoulds, of people not living up to your expectations. Life has disappointments and seasons where your picture of perfect is not fulfilled. And sometimes those anxieties and losses have deeper roots and need other interventions to fade into the background and allow your joy to come front and center again. I’m not saying that all the tough stuff of life can be glossed over by simply sucking it up and making happy.
But for so many of us, it’s the simple act of looking, deeply, at the meaning in the moment that brings peace and true contentment. Recognizing— and grabbing on to— the fleeting gift of the second in front of us scares off the specter of missing out on more. It refocuses our vision and allows us to see the truth more clearly.
The baby is beaming at his big brother. Today.
The rain is making paths down the window pane. Today.
The tea is hot. Today.
This is it. The day the Lord has made. And right now, it’s the only one you are being handed. Rejoice, and be glad in it.
Amen.