When we moved out of Columbus, we lived in a crappy old doublewide. It was a tight squeeze with 4 kids under 4. It was lonely to be in a new place and have Eric drive into Columbus every day for work. We had wanted to build, but we took a hit on the sale of our house (a BIG hit). So we waited. And it was hard.
I kept reminding myself, all though that season, that if I couldn’t be happy or content in that crappy little doublewide, I was not going to be happy or content in a new house we built next door. I had to keep living my life as it was right then. And if I didn’t, I really couldn’t expect to suddenly develop new ways of thinking in behaving in a big, brand-new house.
I found myself in that place again this week. I keep telling myself that I will be able to write better when Tim goes to school. And, let’s be honest, I will.
Or maybe not.
If I’m not fighting the distractions and disciplining myself and making time to write with life as it is right now, what makes me think I’ll suddenly start doing all those things when all my kids are in school.
It’s really not likely. And if I’m not careful, I’ll miss these lovely last few months with Timmy all to myself. In a few months, it’ll be summer. And then all four will disappear into that big brick school and I will find myself in a brand-new stage. It’ll be a good stage, for all of us. But I don’t want to waste life as it is right now, wishing for the next stage to come. And putting all my hope on “that moment” to make all my writing and blogging dreams come true.
It’s really hard not to do that, though. Maybe you have struggled with this, too, at some point. (Please, tell me I’m not the only one!)
So what can we do?
1. Engage our minds. We all have set mental patterns that undermine our ability to take the present moment as a gift.
- When I have more money…
- When my husband starts/stops/does/doesn’t…
- When my kids are older…
- When I have kids…
- When I get a better/different job or boss…
Those thoughts–whatever they sound like in your head–are torpedoes that destroy our ability to live life as it is right now. We have to pay attention to them, root them out, and face the hard battle of struggling through what isn’t great about our life as it is right now, if we want to embrace what we have been given today.
2. Engage our faith. Our feelings are not very good anchors for our lives and decisions. They change too fast. They have a purpose, and we ignore them to our detriment, but they aren’t a good foundation. But faith is not like feelings. Faith is a settled assurance of Who God is, Who I am as a result, and how the world works when we wait for Him to live with and through us. We have to go back to the Truth, compare our thoughts and feelings and attitudes to what the Bible says, and do the hard work to bend ourselves to match His thoughts. That means knowing what the Bible says, and choosing to believe its truth. It isn’t easy, but it’s a necessary part of living life as it is right now.
3. Engage your life. You have a life, right now, that is worth more than you think. It’s easy to look at the busyness, the difficulties, the challenges our family members face (or bring with them) and wish to just lose ourselves in…anything else. But your life, as it is right now, can be a good and beautiful place. Your kids. Your spouse. Your job. Your time. Your church. Do the hard work of engaging with the people and places where you are, and you will begin to find joy sneaking in around the edges. And eventually, you find the life you have is exactly the life you want.
I don’t know what you’re waiting for, but I can promise that your life–as it is right now–is a gift. Claim it. Engage it. Enjoy it.
Talk to me: What do you catch yourself wishing was different about your life? What would it look like for you to live your life as it is right now?
November 2, 2017
So many things….