There's a question we often ask ourselves in the moments when life seems to be stagnant. When progress decides to seemingly rid its presence from our life we are engulfed with the simple thought of “what now”. We humans are goal oriented. We wan’t to work for something, we want to be headed somewhere.
However, each moment has a lot tied to it. Each breath has different air, each sight has different colors and imagery, each sound has different noises, each taste has different characteristics, each touch a different feeling. Every moment we live is tied to our senses, tied to observation of some sort. The problem that occurs when we decide to think ahead rather than stay in the current moment is we rid ourselves of the ability to interact with our senses and then in turn gather some sort of understanding from what exactly it is we are perceiving.
Our senses tell us that every moment is different, they are also the means or pathway to us being able to develop some thought or observation. Life itself is a process of observing, and observation is the gateway to thought and realization.
To backtrack a bit, think back to the question I mentioned earlier. “What now”, it’s the right question, but we are asking it with the wrong mindset. Instead of “what now” meaning where do I go from here, “what now” should be thought of in terms of “What is occurring now? What is going on in this moment that will allows the worry of the next to subside so that I can recognize and be encouraged by this present moment and allow this moment to speak to me and help take me somewhere.”
There’s a lot of talk about living in the present though. It’s almost cliche. The reason people have grown a bit stale to this idea is because when people preach about the present, they speak about it as this constant thing that is happening. Speaking strictly of the present is a lot like a life made up of still photographs. This idea of “presence” is relatively impractical because it does very little, if anything to promote any kind of development or recognition of the more that is going on in the present that you are supposed to be occupying yourself in. As I have expressed, I do believe the present is important and to live in it is beneficial, but for there to be true transformation in the way we interact with the world, there’s another step.
We most live in the present, but we must also see how each different present moment that we are a part of is taking us to a moment of understanding through the cycle or process that is a part of each differing moment that we exist in. Living in strictly the present is nothing more than living in individual stories that lack development or intrigue. But living in each moment while simultaneously connecting them to other moments we are a part of allows for a plot to begin to form. The formation of plot provides the development of a storyline which is what leads us to some sort of lesson and a life that is consistently moving forward.
We are always headed somewhere. Always. It’s a beautiful/haunting realization we have to come to at some point in life. Life is not a static report, it’s an unfolding narrative. The practice of living in the present serves absolutely no purpose if it stops there. The real transformation occurs when each moment we live attaches itself to an unfolding story that is taking us somewhere, progressing, and headed to a place of understanding. There is a lesson that can be learned in every moment we live. Whether it is the recognition of the need for reflection and peace that comes with time spent simply listening to music in a coffee shop, or the understanding of our need to be just plain goofy with friends, telling stories that make no sense but provide laughter and smiles. Each moment is good, and each moment attaches itself to the ever progressing reality that is the life we live. Jesus says do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Jesus knows that in the present moment we live, there is something to be learned, just as there will be in the moments of tomorrow. But Jesus knows that worrying about tomorrow’s lesson is impractical without the wisdom we can gain from todays. Let the days of your life be like pages of a novel. Some emotional and hard to get through, some beautiful and filled with joy, but all of them tied to a story that you can’t look away from because with each new page comes a further understanding as to where your story is headed, and where it is headed is a place you are not afraid of, but fully excited about due to how each page is full of some new found revelation and understanding about your existence and purpose. The book of life has many pages, and each page contains a moment, however it is only with the culmination of each page that a novel makes any sense. Pages progress. We progress. We are headed somewhere, and that somewhere is good. Take part in each moment that is taking you to that somewhere and enjoy each page so that when your story ends, you can feel complete.
