NOW!

Now!

By John W. Vander Velden

 

Yesterday was my day.

Tomorrow may be my day.

But today is my day!

 

Should we not be engaged in the now.  In truth it is all we have.  Yet it is too easy to dwell on what was…all the accomplishments… all the joy…all the good times.  Or to sulk over the past’s failures…the mistakes…heartaches…the dark days.  On the other hand how many times, do we feel certain that the future offers all the things that are presently out of our reach?  That the future holds all the wonders we seek.  So we spend too much time dwelling on the past and looking toward days ahead to fully take all today has to offer.

But today is the only day we have…really have…now!  I get up knowing that God has given me 24 hours…well maybe…but he has given me today.  I may not know what I will face on this revolution of the earth, but crawling back into bed, may be pleasant on occasion, but does not fulfill.  Better to get up and to it…whatever “it” might be.  I understand that what “it” is changes each day.  But there will be something to tackle today!

So I make a mental list of what I “might” do today, knowing that “the best laid plans” often fall to the wayside.  I do not drive myself as I did years ago, but just because I don’t hustle straight from day’s beginning to its end, doesn’t mean that I stand stationary.  I am grateful that there are things that demand my attention.  I may be frustrated that there are too many things that demand my attention, but there needs to be something.

So instead of milking cows every day…I did that for 35 years.  Instead of preparing soil and planting each spring and harvesting long days throughout the fall and into the winters…I did that for 45 years.  I will tend to a smaller world.  And among the tasks in that smaller world is my writing.  Each today…well almost every day…that I face at this juncture of my life, should include time for…writing.

For God has given me this gift, and it is my obligation to use all the gifts He has provided.  I hope that I have something of value to say.  I hope that I do not squander even this small talent on self-serving purposes.  For there surely is a need for words that lift.  There is a need for words to inspire.  There is a need for words to remind others of their greatness…their courage…their beauty…and that there is a God that loves them.

You see I can’t change yesterday.  Tomorrow is out of sight.  But today…today is my day…I should celebrate the now!

(456 Words)                  2/28/2017