Look up and look around you. The faint whisperings of the wind are calling, the faraway dreams are passing by. You glance up, and for a moment you can almost make out the answers, but fog passes by again. There is silence. The haze of the future may be blinding you, the cords of never-knowing-the-future binding you. And the moments of right now will never happen again. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ~ James 4:14 But never mind the future. Push away the nagging thoughts of how, where, when. And listen to the calls of now. Take a moment to breathe. Put down the distractions. And listen. I listen as I go to school, click on social media, walk around. But I get distracted, I get depressed, I am anxious about homework, practicing, all the mundane day-to-day responsibilities. And I hear the people say "In ten years it won't matter." But wait. In ten years, it won't matter about the moment you are facing now? The trials of life you are pushing hard to conquer...they all won't matter? That math test you're studying for.. is it worth it to actually try? Will the remembrance of my younger school days affect the future? It will matter. Right now you can't just give up, you can't let the world push down your potential, and you can't look ahead to the future with no sense of now. The tests and grades and missing assignments and messy backpacks and never-ending locker stuff is all a part of the great story called life. It's all important, all of the trials and opportunities to learn. All of the competitions and Bible-memorizations and concerts. All of it pays off, the things you learn, the people you choose to talk to, the pieces you dedicate hours to accomplish. It will affect your future life. What you do now will prepare you for the future. It's coming, eventually. But don't be scared, don't be put off by the feeling of panic, of what you are going to do with your life. You just need to turn one page at a time, the page you are writing, the page of now. Now. Everyone talks about the next thing: the next class, the next period, the next time you get on break. Graduating eighth grade and getting out of middle school, graduating as a senior and getting out of high school, graduating college and getting out of school for good. Getting a license, getting a job, getting a new house, or getting a date... Everyone talks about how they can't wait for the future. But when they get there, they find they are still wanting. Longing for more. Still waiting for that promotion, the new president to get elected, their ship to come in....Talking about then. But no one talks about now. Now is a good time to live life. Not when you're grown up, not when you graduate, not when you're married. Now is when you can breathe, live life, look up at the sky, see the people around you. See the hurts and peel back the layers. See where they are in life and how you can be their friend, how you can help, how you can make a difference for maybe even one person or two. Take full advantage of the opportunities, no matter how little they seem. The future is a good thing - hope and newly-found moments may soon overflow. But do not be blinded by now, because now is always a time to grow, to learn, to reflect, to discover. No matter what stage of life you are in. Right now. Right now we are facing almost-impossible challenges, boulders, hurdles, opportunities, new experiences, life-changing moments, every-day routines, and out-of-the ordinary disasters. You will never have this moment again, so why not embrace it? Why not take it to the fullest, living completely whole, confident with God by your side? Because now is important. Right now you are living. This is life.
2 Comments
3/8/2017 05:32:41 pm
Karissa, thank you SO much for this reminder!! I loved this.
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Karissa
3/8/2017 05:35:58 pm
Thank you, I am so happy you did. :)
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about the authorAs a 21 year old aspiring teacher, Karissa loves to write, travel, play piano, and read. Many creative things have her heart. archives
November 2021
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