Enjoy today...

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today." 
-- Thomas Jefferson (I think)

To me, this quote is about fully embracing the present moment -- taking full advantage of the day I have right in front of me.

I can chose to live fully in the here and now. I can chose to see today as a gift.

We shouldn't waste time dwelling on yesterday or planning for tomorrow. We have today to be the person God would have us be, to do the things He'd have us do. And who knows, we may love it so much we'll want to do it again tomorrow.

I happened upon this example (below) and enjoyed the visual of an avalanche. While I'm not looking to leave a path of destruction in my wake, I do like the idea that small things can gather momentum and become a powerful force.

"Newton’s First Law says that 'An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it.' So there is momentum in sloth, delaying, procrastinating and all the other euphemisms for the act of not doing. The opposite is just as important.  Avalanches start when just the tiniest of pebbles or snowflakes bumps into just the right spot.  All that pent up potential energy is released, and gathers speed, strength and momentum.  By putting off until tomorrow, you are robbing yourself of the “mighty Mo” (momentum)."

When I live fully in each moment, I open myself to joys that might otherwise escape me.

My prayer for the day: 
Lord, help me live fully in the here and now. Help me make today a good one by doing Your will. Help me become all that You would have me be, just for today. Help me find joy and satisfaction in whatever tasks I accomplish today without worry if they are good enough for tomorrow.  If I am having trouble, I will ask for Your help.

The song that inspired me this morning is from Tim McGraw:

Don't worry...

“The reason why worry kills more people than work 
is that more people worry than work.”
— Robert Frost

Worry.

Such a nasty, unhelpful thing. I don't know about you, but I’ve wasted a lot of my life worrying.

This morning, I read that worry puts distance between us and others. So true. I’ve spent many dreadful moments worrying about what others may think of me or how they may respond in a certain situation.  And what happens? I inch further and further away from the person.

I've been called a "future girl" because I tend to worry about things that haven’t happened yet (and most likely won’t).

I’ve become an expert player in the “What if?” game. I’ve actually tried to strategically plan every “move” of a conversation or situation and in the end, found myself at the bottom of a rabbit hole paralyzed. The very notion that I can control a person or situation is so silly. And yet I still worry.

Because of my tendency to worry about the future, the first Bible verse I ever connected with is from Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  

I so need that reminder!

 

When I find myself trapped in my head, full of worry, I need to remind myself to:

1) stay in today 

2) stop trying to figure everything out on my own and ask for help

Duh.

Asking for help may sound easy, but it is a HUGE hurdle for me. Somewhere along the way I developed the notion that it was Heather vs. The World (cue "Rocky" theme music). 

I truly believed that to be successful in life I had to accomplish goals and solve my problems on my own. Wow. So lonely, so sad, so WRONG. I mean, why would we be on this earth surrounded by millions of people if we are supposed to figure life out on our own?

Today, I must work (remember that quote from Frost?) at asking others for help...especially God.

According to Joyce Meyers, “All of us would be better off if we'd learn to lean on God and ask for His help. But as long as we try to do everything ourselves, God will let us. He won't take care of our problems and worries—our cares—until we turn loose of them and give them to Him.”

But, that doesn’t relieve us from the responsibility to act, to work. We have to do what we can and then turn over what we can’t to God.

We are told to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” —1 Peter 5:6-7

Meyers sums up this idea: “God won't do for you what you can do yourself…When we humble ourselves and ask for His help, then He's able to release His power in our situations. It's only then that we can really enjoy life.”

So I say, put worry away. Remove it from your bag of tricks. Give it to God. 

And if all else fails, listen to Robert Nesta Marley.