A Reminder to ‘Live for Today’
Where are you living? I don’t mean the physical location of your home. I’m talking about your state of mind. Some people live in the past, always reflecting on days gone by and yearning for “the way things used to be.” Others live for the future, constantly anticipating and planning for what comes next. Few of us live in the present, probably because it is so fleeting. After all, the future becomes the past in a matter of seconds.
In 1967, a popular musical group, The Grass Roots, released a song with the lyrics, “live for today, and don’t worry about tomorrow.” Long before that, the Book of James (4:13-15) offered similar advice: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” The Gospel of Matthew (6:34) also addresses our concern for the future with this passage: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
So what does God want us to do with our time? I believe he wants us to live for Him in the moment. The past is gone, and the future is beyond our grasp, but the present is ours to impact others and make a difference. So, to the best of our ability, let us live for today, sharing our gifts and enjoying the blessings He has bestowed upon us as we seek to bring honor and glory to His Sacred Name.