Last week, some people I dearly love were enjoying life and living unfettered in God’s love and grace. Then they went to the doctor. Unbeknownst to them, ominous abnormalities were secretly festering inside their bodies. Their worlds were turned upside down in a heartbeat along with all of us who love them. Their futures which had looked so bright became fuzzy and uncertain. No matter how much faith we have, and they have lots of it, fear of the unknown can be paralyzing. Self-pity, doubt and anxiety can consume us if we focus on the future. Why?
Because if we focus on the future, we won’t find Jesus. He is not the great I WILL BE.
If we focus on the past and what we could have done differently, we won’t find Jesus. He is not the great I WAS.
If we focus on the the present— this very second— we will find Him. He is the great I AM.
If Jesus is our life, which He is if we have trusted Him as our Lord and Savior, then what do we have to fear? 365 times in the Bible, God says “Fear not.” One for every day of the year. He tells us not to be anxious about anything, but to pray about everything, always giving thanks for His answers and provisions in advance. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Do you know that it is impossible to worry if you focus on what you are doing at this very minute? The Greek word for worry means, “to divide the mind.” If you are “single-minded,” focusing on what God has placed before you this very moment, you are in the presence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. He is perfect love and perfect love drives out fear. Fear is not found in the present. You only find fear when you are focusing on the past or the future.
Try it and see. Close your eyes and focus on this sentence: JESUS IS MY PEACE. Close your eyes and slowing repeat that phrase 10 times focusing on a different word each time. JESUS is my peace. Jesus IS my peace. Jesus is MY peace. Jesus is my PEACE. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
See what I mean? Worry cannot live in the present. Only the Lord knows the number of our days on earth. Life is simply an accumulation of minutes each lived one at a time. Life is too precious to waste, and most of us waste our minutes on things that just don’t matter. Is it worth the minutes you lose by fussing with your spouse? Or regretting some bad decisions that you can do nothing about now? Or pouting over something you don’t have that won’t matter one iota in eternity? Or fretting over what other flawed people think about you?
If you knew you only had one week to live, would you be getting bent out of shape over stuff that doesn’t even matter? I think not. And not a single one of us is promised tomorrow, much less a week. If you did have a week to live, would waste that precious time mourning before you even died, or would you go out and celebrate every minute of the life you had left. It’s your choice, Beloved.
Life by the yard is pretty hard, but life by the inch is a cinch. Always remember that and you will never forget it.
You think about that…
Blessings,
Kenny
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