Be Present

 I have always had dreams of doing something that would impact the world, even if by “the world” I mean the part of the world I inhabit. My desire has always been to make a difference; to live a life that counts for something bigger than myself. Yet these dreams and desires so often cause anxiety for me. I worry that I am wasting my life because I am not currently doing something big that’s going to radically change humanity. When I think of my future, I worry that I will end up leading an ordinary, insignificant life. Dreams and desires to make a difference are good and essential but I realised that, in my case, they were stopping me from seeing the difference I can make today in the small things. Instead of focusing on the amazing things I will do someday in the future, I should look at what God has given me now and be faithful with what He has put in my hands. 

Some of these realisations or ponderings were triggered by the line “Be present”, which I heard in a rather ludicrous movie, as well as the following quote I heard awhile back: “Wherever you are, be all there” (Jim Elliot). I was lying in bed the other night, with these words playing in my head, when I had an epiphany of sorts. The solution to the anxiety of wasting my life is to live each present day fully, instead of being distracted by the future. If we live each day by walking with God, submitting to Him and being faithful with what He has entrusted to our care, we will not waste our lives. I want to encourage you to live each day with courage and obedience and to remember that God loves to use the little things in the world to make a significant difference.