To Be More Joyful: Live in the Now
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This year marks the twentieth since I graduated from high school and moved away to college. Oh my! I had a very different picture of my future life back then. What’s funny is that I’m so much happier with the current state of things than I would have been if I had got the things that I wanted.
At different times in my young adult years, I wanted to be a fighter pilot, a police officer, a lawyer, and a journalist, preferably investigating crime cases.
Yeah, I watched too much TV as a kid.
As it turned out, I studied in France for a year, came home, got a BA in French Literature, married, became a high school teacher and then retired two years later to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom. At one time, I thought I would never get married. Later, I was only going to have two children. As it turned out, it was pretty tough to have a second child. Now I’m blessed with six children.
My so called “plans” were just that, plans. And, I’m so glad that God had a better plan than I did. Whooee!
Leaving the Past Behind
Like the wrinkled brow of my daughter, so does my own face scrunch up when I remember poor choices and bad decisions of the past. Hubs and I have had long discussions about things we wish we hadn’t done.
In the big picture, we love where we are. But, there are moments and memories that we do regret. Why did we buy that house? Why did we sell that house? Why did we get into such horrible debt?
Life is full of disappointments. You’re no different than the Mom Nextdoor. Each of us can look back and go, “ewww.”
But, certainly, this doesn’t contribute to a more joyful life. Repent of the past, make a decision to do better or different in the future, and make a plan for “next time.”
Don’t Pine for the Future
In some seasons of my life, it seems that I was always living for something more. Wanting to find Mr. Right, get married, have a baby, buy a house, you know the story….
When we were struggling to have our second baby, I pined away for that moment when I would hold another baby in my arms. Yet, when he came – three years later — I realized that I had squandered precious moments with our little family of three. While I was ecstatic to have another child, I was sobered by what I had missed in my impatience.
Enjoy today.
You may have hopes and dreams you want fulfilled — right now. You may regret past choices that you still feel pain over. You may be allowing the past and the future to rob you of the present.
I know. I’ve been there. I go there still. We can learn from our pasts and we can plan for our futures. But, we need to enjoy today. Embrace the now. And suck every drop of goodness out of what’s going on in the present.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Thank you so much for posting this today. We are in the middle of a lot of changes, and it is hard not to be impatient for things to settle. Its a beautiful day, and life is GOOD.
like this alot. I’ve linked to it on my blog – http://parentplanet.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/great-sites-8-26/
Oh yes, great post. There have been times in the past that I pined for the future, but I’ve gotten past that. I am not regretful, and so incredibly joyful. I try very hard to live in the moments, in the now, although I am a chronic planner. I have a strong sense of mortality and that keeps me from getting too far ahead of myself, I think. I’m sure I miss moments in the now, but God is sovereign and I am content 🙂
Such truth. So hard. A great reminder. Thank you.
Thanks for your kind words and for sharing your struggles. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone. 😉
Great post! It is another reminder to me to just enjoy the now. Kids really do grow up in a blink of an eye. My oldest will be 17 on Thursday and it feels like just yesterday I was holding him my arms for the first time.
Isn’t that the truth?! My oldest is sporting a little moustache!! {gasp} and he’s only 13. What happened to my baby?
This is so helpful for me to read. Thanks for sharing your story & for your constant honesty. one of my biggest struggles has always been living in the now, and I don’t want to miss this time- because I’ll never have it back. With God’s grace I can live for now- and the future in heaven too!
This is just what I needed. Thank you for being to candid and honest about your life. It makes me so happy to know that I am not alone in how I feel!