Love this excerpt of a conversation between Jesus and Mack, the main character in William P. Young's fine book, "The Shack." Live in the present ... not the past or the future.
" 'Tell me what you are afraid of, Mack.' 'Well, let me see. What am I afraid of?', began Mack. 'Well, I am afraid of looking like an idiot. I am afraid that you are making fun of me and that I will sink like a rock. I imagine that -' "
" 'Exactly,' Jesus interrupted. 'You imagine. Such a powerful ability, the imagination! That power alone makes you so like us. But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel taskmaster. If I may prove my case, do you think humans were designed to live in the present, or the past, or the future?' 'Well,' said Mack, hesitating, 'I think the most obvious answer is that we were designed to live in the present. Is that wrong?' Jesus chuckled. 'Relax, Mack. This is not a test, it's a conversation. You are exactly correct, by the way. But now tell me, where do you spend most of your time in your mind, in your imagination: in the present, in the past, or in the future?' Mack thought for a moment before answering. 'I suppose I would have to say that I spend very little time in the present. I spend a big piece in the past, but most of the rest of the time, I am trying to figure out the future.' "
" 'Not unlike most people. When I dwell with you, I do so in the present - I live in the present. Not the past, although much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure, I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine. Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?' Again, Mack stopped and thought. It was true. He spent a lot of time fretting and worrying about the future, and in his imagination it was usually pretty gloomy and depressing, if not outright horrible. And Jesus was also correct in saying that in Mack's thoughts of the future, God was always absent."
" 'Why do I do that?' asked Mack. 'It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn't even real, nor will it ever be real. You try to play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try to make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear.' 'Yeah, that's basically what Sarayu [the Spirit of God] was saying,' responded Mack. 'So why do I have so much fear in my life?' "
" 'Because you don't believe. You don't know that we love you. The person who lives by his fears will not find freedom in my love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projections of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it, you talk about it, but you don't know it.' "
__________________________________
"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
- Jesus of Nazareth, from the Good News according to Matthew (6:33-34, MSG)
