Sunday, October 6, 2013

Past.Future.Present.

"Too much time spent in the past leads to depression; too much time spent in the future leads to anxiety. Live in the moment."
- John Mark Comer (Pastor of A Jesus Church in Portland, OR)

I keep this quote on my desktop because I often have a really hard time of living in the present.

I'm not sure if others are wired quite the same as me, but I often wish that I was living in a great event that happened in my past or I'm looking forward to something better to come in the future. Even when I'm not thinking positively, I'm regretting something in my past or dreading something in my future.

I believe this is because of a lack of contentment.

Contentment is not something that I often feel. I wish that it was! What I'm saying with my discontentment is that Christ is not enough for me where I am. When I am wishing that my circumstances were different, when I'm wishing that I was in the past or could time hop to the future I am saying that I do not appreciate my right now. 

How untrue this is! Christ is sufficient for me. Christ is my salvation, my hope, my rock, my joy!

I've been thinking a lot about living faithfully recently. I am called to have joy in all circumstances, because Christ has reconciled me to himself, what is there to be sad about? 1 Thess 5:16-18 reads, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

I find myself looking back on this summer and wishing that I was still working for LeaderTreks. I find myself remembering my closeness with God and the amazing ways I saw him work and I long to be back in Honduras. I often daydream about what it's going to be like after college when homework is a thing of the past. I imagine where I'll live and the kind of job that I'll have. I am not content with where I'm at. God places us where he wants us to be faithful to him until he calls us to the next thing. I am still in school and I need to be faithful in serving Him here which means being content with where God has placed me.

I'm praying for contentment. Christ is all I need. Maybe you can relate with this or maybe you're better at living in the present and being content than I am. Give thanks for that. If you remember, pray for me.