When to Sacrifice and When To Focus On the Now

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

I appreciate reading the writer Dan Pedersen’s offerings. Instead of his usual article length, he wrote just four sentences in one of his latest articles, “The Chase.” Pedersen begins, “Life can’t always be about getting somewhere.” Too often, I’ve made the frustrating mistake of sacrificing the future so often that I rarely focus on the present. Since the second semester of my freshman year of college, I took pride in sacrificing for “the future.” The future was this nebulous, “better” place where everything would be great. Yet, Peterson challenges in his second sentence, “At some point it has to be about now.” Why is now so hard to focus on?

Pedersen puts “now” in perspective when he responds, “Otherwise it never will be-we’ll just keep chasing a fantasy-an ideal version of life-an imaginary place in the future where everything is the way we want it to be.” “Fantasy” and “imaginary” are beautiful words that expand our minds unless they deter us from the present, which is the only time we experience life fully. Further, striving for the “ideal version of life” can be a form of idolatry. The ideal version of life cannot be found until God’s kingdom comes. This world will not be everything we want, and striving for that goal is no longer appropriate or healthy. We can only aspire to improve this world’s imperfection. That is our divine calling.

Pedersen’s third sentence is frightening. “The truth is that as we get older, we’re going to lose more and more of the things that are truly important: health, family members, time, etc.” Putting off “now” for too long means our future will be more limited. Now, might just be the most fulfilling, meaningful moment in our life on this earth. The key to life is knowing when to sacrifice and when to know when not to sacrifice. And finally, Pedersen’s fourth and final sentence, “At some point we…Sharing our ideas and experiences.” It is now that our experiences are made, and experiences take place.

Pedersen may not have intended a spiritually poignant four sentences, but his words came alive in my prayers as a warning and affirmation. In the time that you and I have left, we must sacrifice, when necessary, but appreciate the now most of all. God speaks to us in the now. The now is when God connects with us in prayer. Now is when we honor God in worship and caring for others. Now is worthy of our respect and focus. Seek the Spirit’s care as we step into the unknown of our now. God will be with us, helping us live in the moment, making a difference in your sacred name.