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"I
do not want to die without having lived." -
Thoreau
"Preoccupation
with the yesterdays and tomorrows of life to the
neglect of the present is not living at all." -
Manning
Eat, Drink, & Be
Merry
"Eat,
drink, and be merry" is not bad advice.
The
phrase comes from a parable Jesus told (see Lk
12.16-21), in which a highly successful farmer
utters the words at his retirement party. The
farmer is described by God as "a fool", but
not because of his existentialist (living
for the day) philosophy. He's a fool for a
different
reason.
Many
of us live life in a rush. Our minds are always an
hour or three ahead of our bodies - thinking about
upcoming meetings, errands, appointments, and
demands. We wake up and miss the sunrise because
we're planning the day. We walk past our gardens
oblivious to the new buds, because we've got
somewhere to be soon. We're always
running and rushing, hurrying and
scurrying.
As
leaders, we set our sights on future goals
and targets. We evaluate yesterday and plan
tomorrow - largely unaware of the dynamics of the
present moment. We focus relentlessly on what's
ahead. Isn't that what leaders do - cast a vision
for a preferred
future?
Retirement
planning preoccupies us. Vacation plans take
over. We day-dream about a promotion or a new
position, or what life will be like when the kids
leave home. We make resolutions about changes
we'll make in the future - changes in weight,
fitness, finances, or family
time.
The
primary orientation for many of us - if not most
of us - is the future. And in the process we
violate the time and the place that God has given
us right
now.
This
very moment is both a sacred time and place.
Wherever you are right now is sacred - whether
it's an office, a kitchen, or a prison. The
Presence of God makes it sacred. And this moment
is irredeemable. We don't get it
back.
Some
of us grow anxious at the thought of wasting
a moment. Ought we not be doing something
significant, meaningful, and of eternal
significance? Too much is at stake to make
frivolous or casual choices. Guilt pops its heads
over the wall and looks disapprovingly at
us.
However,
I don't add value to this moment. My hard work or
serious effort does not make the moment
significant. To the contrary, I simply discover
the sanctity of the moment that has already been
imbued by
God.
"Eat,
drink, and be merry" is sound advice - if
it's a call to live fully in the present moment,
attentive to God and fully enjoying His gifts.
Yes, some attention to the future is helpful,
though perhaps not as much attention as our
culture leads us to believe. Full attention to the
present is
vital.
Christian
spirituality is not about what we did yesterday or
plan to do tomorrow, but how we live right now -
growing "rich toward God" by looking for Him in
every moment. We waste life when we wallow in
regret of the past or live in constant planning
for the future - even the future of just a few
hours from now.
The
foolish farmer had the right philosophy, but too
late. May we find freedom in it
now.
In HOPE
-
David
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