Growing Through Challenge - This Priceless Moment

      "THIS PRICELESS MOMENT IN YOUR POSSESSION..."

These words from a song I recently heard are hardly original but the concept struck me in a fresh and powerful way.

                         WHERE DOES THE JOY GO?

I couldn't help thinking how many of my "priceless moments" I have totally missed over the years while I was busy either reliving the past, or pre-living the future. The thought I've been trying to remind myself of is simply this... "What segment of time is really my possession?"

The Past... something that has already come... and gone... forever!

The Future... something I can expect, but cannot grasp or live right now!

The Present... ah... this is the only sliver of time I can really possess and live. I miss one of God's greatest gifts if I am too occupied elsewhere to savor the moment I am actually living!

                                      REMEMBER

If part of our mind is wandering off into "yesterday" or "tomorrow", we can't give ourselves totally to "today"... we can't know the joy of "losing ourselves" in this moment we are actually living!

                                 THE NEXT THING

Perhaps like me, you often find yourself rushing on to the "next thing", taking little note of, much less enjoyment in, the present moment... which is, at that precise second, our very life itself slipping through our fingers. Without care, the "next thing" will continually plunder the joy of the present experience we could be relishing.

                       CONTENTMENT AND SERENITY

These are wonderful qualities we would all like to possess. Again we must remind ourselves that this kind of abundant living and peace cannot be found rushing past the "present", trying to get on to the "next thing". These qualities are not possessions that our Creator or anyone else can give to us... they are actually outlooks, perspectives, and inner attitudes that can only be experienced in the present tense!

                    IS THERE REALLY ENOUGH TIME?

Most often it doesn't feel like it, but in reality, each of us has been given all the time there is. The 24 hours of each day tick by for everyone alike, no matter how we may look with envy at another's lot in life. So one critical question to ask is... "Do we spend more time fretting over the things we don't have time to do, than spend enjoying the things we do have time for?" It's really a choice... fretting... or enjoying! We just need to keep reminding ourselves of which choice we want to continue with.

                         OUR CREATOR'S APPROVAL

If you are a parent you know the undiluted pleasure of simply observing your child as they are totally absorbed and lost in enjoying something or some experience you have provided for them. Likewise you probably know the pain of having your child ignore or pay little attention to something you gave out of a heart of love.

Try to apply this concept to the present moments that are the gracious gifts to you from your Infinite Creator and Heavenly Father. It might really help you enjoy the present if you visualize His approving smile as He looks on while you become totally engrossed in and lost in the present moment He has provided.

                               A FRESH BEGINNING

Whether or not we realize it or take advantage of it, with each new tick of the clock, our Creator is stretching out before us a fresh new future! If we accept God's offered forgiveness, our past truly doesn't have to dictate our future... everything can begin anew for you right now! So if you feel you need a fresh start, take your eyes off of yesterday, or tomorrow, or even the next hour, for THIS IS THE MOMENT... "THIS PRICELESS MOMENT IN YOUR POSSESSION!"

                            QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How much of my hectic lifestyle might be, in some ways, of my own choosing?

Do I find myself rushing through my days... and missing my life?

Have I perhaps said "yes" to too many things... confusing the "urgent" with the "important"?

What are some practical steps I could take to slow down and un-complicate my life a little?

What things could I do to help me "enjoy" rather than "endure" each 24-hour mosaic that is actually... MY LIFE passing by?

What reminders could I use to help me more consistently view my daily duties as opportunities rather than obligations?

Do I often focus on the enjoyment I think I'll find in some future event, and miss the joys I could be finding in life's common moments, RIGHT NOW?

What steps could I take to keep my past or my future from robbing the joys to be found in... "this priceless moment in my possession?"

                               QUOTES TO PONDER

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living." ___Dale Carnegie

"The present moment is where life can be found, and if you don't arrive there, you miss your appointment with life." ___Thich Nhat Hanh

"But what about today? We seldom give ourselves up to the moment and allow ourselves to experience and enjoy what is happening today." ___Jonathon Lazear

"Wherever you are... BE THERE! Whatever you are doing... lose yourself in it!" ___Anonymous

"Simplify your life. Don't waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant. Live in the present; enjoy the present." ___Henry David Thoreau

"If your thinking is, 'I'll be happy when... (you fill in the blank)', you'll never experience other than momentary happiness." ___G.D.

"Know the value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it." ___Lord Chesterfield

"When we let go of wanting something else to happen in this moment, we are taking a profound step toward being able to encounter what is here now." ___Jon Kabat-Zinn.