Kickstarter: Embrace now

Embrace the now. Today. This minute. Take a deep breath and breathe it in—all of it. Often, we get “lost” in the current moment, either looking back in regret or gazing forward in fear and worry.

You have this moment, this snapshot in time. The best thing you can do for tomorrow is to live today. Believe me, everything isn’t life and death urgent. Think about it! What do you really have to get done today? TODAY? What can’t wait until tomorrow? I know, I know, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, but today matters.

In reality, tomorrow depends more on today than today depends on tomorrow.

So, what will you do with it?

• Carpe diem.
• Make today your masterpiece (John Wooden).
• Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. (Mother Theresa).
• Forever is composed of nows. (Emily Dickinson).

It’s okay to enjoy the moment.

You may have to actively grab yourself by the shoulders and say: “Stop, enjoy the moment!” It’s okay to just stop, take it in and appreciate where you are. Look around, you’ve really come a long way. You’ve probably come farther than you realize.

Change something on your calendar.

You can cancel a meeting or put something off until tomorrow. Sure, the critical stuff remains, but it’s not all necessary, right? Take one thing off your to-do list and savor the moment.

Be grateful.

You have so much. Yes, I know, the tendency is to believe you need more money, a bigger house, a newer car, a better job. But do you really? Or are you comparing yourself and what you have with friends or family or someone you don’t know?

That’s where discontentment begins: By comparing what you have and who you are with others. You will never finish that race because there will always be something newer, nicer or better.

We’re all familiar with the scripture that tells us we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13). But you don’t hear as much about the verses immediately preceding where Paul says he has “…learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.“

Take time to be content where you are with what you have and who you are.

Write it down.

There is no better way to look back on the moment’s beauty than to record it for posterity. All the better if you’re the only one who will read it later — a year from now, five years from now. Even if today brings grief or challenges, write those down too. Soon you’ll be able to write down the victory of what God provided or how you overcame.

Your memory tricks you, and you will inevitably forget the good things of today this time next year. They will bring a smile to your face.

My wife journals and she reviews her journal from a year ago (and even further back) every day that passes. It’s filled with great memories, and she shares them with me occasionally.

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a song many years ago. This is the essence of the song.

We have this moment to hold in our hands
And to touch as it slips
Through our fingers like sand
Yesterday’s gone
And tomorrow may never come
But we have this moment today

You have this moment. Embrace the now. Today.