Life – A Real Hit and Mist Proposition

You’ve probably noticed, but Christmas is fast approaching. Many of us are very much in the midst of preparations, worrying if there’s enough time to get things done. But before we know it, Christmas will become a fading memory. Poof! Funny how that happens.

 

Have you ever gotten up in the morning and looked out the window to see a light fog blanketing the landscape? Then, 10-15 minutes later you glanced out again to see the sun breaking through and the mist has vanished? In some ways, this and the now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t nature of Christmas are metaphors for everyday living.

 

The journey through life is a curious one. When you’re young it feels as if you’ll live forever; and things you’re looking forward to – birthdays, Christmas, summer vacation – seem to take forever to arrive. Then as you grow older the pace of life seems to quicken. Much-anticipated events – like Christmas – arrive much faster and before you know it, they’re gone. Like the morning mist that’s here one minute and gone the next.

As the years go by, we also experience a somber reality: the passing of old friends and family members; former classmates in high school and college; coworkers past and present; parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins. They’re here – and then they’re not. These sad events confirm that life is shorter than we once believed. Like the morning mist, one day we all will be missed.

 

Just in case we might forget this, James 4:14 offers this sobering reminder, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (Is that why our thinking sometimes gets a little foggy?)

 

Familiar Christmas carols and songs have a way of jogging our memories as well. We enjoy hearing beloved tunes by the likes of Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Karen Carpenter, Johnny Mathis, Burl Ives and others. Their music lives on, but they’re no longer with us. 

 

Or consider classic Christmas films like “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed; “Miracle on 34^th Street” with Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O-Hara; “A Christmas Carol” with Alistair Sim (or Reginald Owen); and one of my all-time favorites, “March of the Wooden Soldiers” starring the slapstick duo of Laurel & Hardy. Their personas perpetuated on film long after they’ve departed this life.

 

If we ponder this long enough it can be depressing. Who wants to think of their own lives as “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”? But we can use this truth as a positive motivator instead, appreciating the time we have and determining to use it to accomplish something worthwhile.

 

The Scriptures seem to endorse the latter approach. Psalm 90:12, for instance, encourages us to let the Lord “teach us to number our day aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Similarly, the apostle Paul admonished his readers they should be “redeeming the time” or, ”making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). Days are “evil” because – unless you’re having a real-life “Groundhog Day” experience – time doesn’t give us a do-over.

 

Jesus sought to impress on His hearers the proper perspective to maintain, striving to live each day with our devotion to God paramount. He said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).

 

Again, thoughts of how transitory life is can overwhelm us. But if we seek to understand God’s point of view, we can find this reality encouraging. First of all, God is in control. As Psalm 139:16 (in the New Living Translation) tells us, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

 

Secondly, if we’ve entrusted our lives and hearts to Jesus Christ, we’re assured that when our “earthly mist” disappears, the best is yet to come. Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms…. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me…” (John 14:1-3).

That should leave you feeling a little misty – in a good way! 

The Desperate, Universal Search for Worry-Free Living

Can you believe it’s been more than 30 years since many of us found ourselves singing the catchy words, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”? It was 1988 when that lilting, uplifting tune by Bobby McFerrin perched atop the Billboard Hot 100 list for two weeks. 

"Hakuna Matata, anyone?"

Then, six years later, we were singing “Hakuna Matata,” the memorable little song from the original animated Disney film, “The Lion King.” Remember? “It means no worries, for the rest of your days. It’s our problem-free philosophy, Hakuna Matata!”

Perhaps just mentioning these simple, infectious musical ditties has caused them to again dance around your mind. To this day, when I offer an apology for an oversight – like running a bit late for an appointment or failing to send a promised email – I’ll hear the other person respond, “No worries.”

Ah, if it were only that simple: Don’t worry, be happy! No worries – Hakuna Matata! Because when worries set it, we want to shout, “That’s easy for you to say!” We do worry, don’t we? A lot. 

We worry that it might rain; we worry that it won’t. We worry about not having enough money; if we have enough money, we worry we’ll lose it. We worry about getting sick, losing our jobs, the car breaking down, or growing old. We worry about what people think of us; we worry if people don’t think about us. We even worry if we don’t have anything to worry about, certain something will emerge to worry about. We just don’t know what it is. And that worries us.

This is a universal human problem, and hardly a new one. Jesus Christ devoted considerable time talking about the futility of worry in His “sermon on the mount”: 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

Another time, Jesus was explaining how worry can prevent responding positively to the Gospel’s life-changing message. In His “parable of the sower,” He described one such category of folks: “The one that received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). 

Can you imagine settling down somewhere, surrounded by thorns? This was the metaphor Jesus used. Whenever we allow worries to overwhelm us – and I admit, I’ve been guilty of this at times – we’re treading into thorny territory.

Recently I read about something called a “friendship bench.” It was introduced in Zimbabwe, a war-torn, economically depressed African nation where despair has been rampant. The idea was for people beset by hopelessness to visit a friendship bench where trained elderly women would listen to them. 

The concept spawned the Friendship Bench Project, dedicated to establishing places where troubled individuals can engage in “a warm conversation with someone who cares.” They can now be found in London, England, New York City, and other parts of the world.

It's definitely sounds like a good way to at least provide encouragement for people who find themselves at wit’s end in dealing with their life’s circumstances. But did you know God already has a “friendship bench” for us? In Hebrews 4:16 we’re admonished, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Through prayer, God waits eagerly to hear from us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned about our lives. We oversee our children so they don’t run out into busy streets. We create budgets for handling our finances wisely. We make sure our vehicles are properly maintained. But as Jesus said, needless worry can choke all the joy and peace out of our lives.

So the next time worry starts consuming our thinking, let’s boldly approach the Lord’s throne of grace, His “friendship bench”: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Living for the Moment – Or Living in the Moment?

Ready or not, we’re officially immersed into the Christmas season. Retail stores, from Cracker Barrel to Hobby Lobby, have unveiled their holiday finest, 2019 edition: Trees brightly adorned. Snowy tabletop baubles and red-and-green finery in vast array. Familiar carols serenading us as we stroll through festively decorated malls. TV commercials bombarding us with “must haves” for our very special somebodies.

With these constant reminders, many of us already are anticipating magical moments. I know the Hallmark Channels are – around Christmastime, with them everything’s “magical.” Young ones envision Christmas morning, awakening to a tree surrounded by brightly wrapped gifts containing wonders soon to be revealed. Enticing aromas wafting from the kitchen, previewing a scrumptious dinner culminating with pies and other sweet delicacies. Over the next weeks the words, “I can’t wait!” will be uttered countless times.

Lots of people live for these moments. Of course, moments aren’t limited to Christmas or other holidays. We can live for the moment that we’ll depart for a long-awaited vacation. Brides – and grooms – live for the moment they arrive at the wedding site, exchange “I do’s,” and begin a journey together as husband and wife. A professional person might live for the moment when he or she earns the coveted title of “partner,” the reward for excellence, hard work and dedication to the firm.

The thing about moments, however, is that we await them for so long, then so quickly they’re gone. Here today – gone today. Then we’re left to consider what our next “moment” should be. 

Recently I heard someone suggest an alternative: Instead of living for the moment, why not try living in the moment?

Many of us tend to be future-oriented, always planning and preparing for something in the weeks or months ahead. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s fun to embrace upcoming activities and events with expectancy. But there’s a danger of becoming so preoccupied by days yet to come that we neglect to recognize opportunities of the day at hand.

In the Bible we read a lot about the future. It speaks about eternity, and life after death. Jesus said much about His return, His “second coming.” But the Scriptures also talk about the here and now, not becoming so future-focused that we become presently impoverished. 

For instance, Ephesians 5:16 warns about, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Or as a different translation phrases it, “making the most of your time.” In His most celebrated public message, the so-called “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus spoke about the dangers of going about our daily lives fearful of what might or might not occur in the future: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

One aspect of this could be concentrating so much on what lies over the horizon that we find ourselves stumbling over good things right in front of us. An example was when Jesus spent time in the home of sisters Mary and Martha. Apparently a consummate hostess, Martha was preparing the dinner she would serve. Her sister, however, “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”

The passage continues, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-41).

Jesus wasn’t rebuking Martha for her kindness in cooking a hearty meal, but was simply showing her that while she had been living for the moment, Mary realized the value of living in the moment. After all, how often did Jesus stop by one’s house for a personal visit?

Pondering the comparison between living in the moment vs. living for the moment, I think of a man I heard of, boasting about the significant estate he was amassing, intending to leave it all for charitable purposes upon his death. Although such intentions are laudable, I couldn’t help thinking about how much good his financial and material resources could accomplish for people right now, rather than delaying such assistance for years later. 

Proverbs 3:27-28 seems to address this when it admonishes, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ – when you already have it with you.”

Without question, it’s fun living part of the time for special moments – a favorite holiday, birthday or anniversary, or the vacation you’ve always dreamed about. But what about this moment? Right now? It could be holding some of the best memories of all.

The Problem with Planning

Goals. Deadlines. Plans. Expectations. Dreams. These are all good, at least in principle. Most of the time. As the old saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” However, as a modern paraphrase of the Robert Burns poem also points out, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

Plans are best written in pencil.

Sometimes, as most of us have discovered, plans aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. We encounter interruptions, unexpected obstacles, or our “ducks in a row” refuse to line up. Intentions that look so good one day fall short the next. Some have surmised that many of God’s greatest laughs must come as He previews our plans.

For many years I’ve been a strong advocate of goal-setting and planning. I learned to make constant companions of my day planners, and I’ve delighted in crossing off items on my to-do lists and writing in things to do in future days and weeks. Plan your work and work your plan. Our recent trip to Italy was the culmination on months of preparations. Just the other day, I scheduled my annual physical for next year. 

However, with the glorious 20:20 clarity of hindsight, I’ve learned plans should be elastic, sometimes even disposable. Because stuff happens – and sometimes it doesn’t. I think of aspirations I had in college; some of those came to fruition while others couldn’t have been more off-target. I couldn’t possibly have planned the directions my career would take or the things I would be able to achieve, along with the worthwhile goals I would never realize.

It’s humbling, sometimes humiliating, but always important to realize as much as we would like to believe the contrary, we’re not in control of many things that go on in our lives. As Proverbs 27:1 admonishes, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

But we need to plan, don’t we? It’s irresponsible to face each new day with no idea of what we’re going to do, right? Yes, it is. But we need to balance that necessity with a recognition that God’s thoughts of what we should undertake might be very different from our own. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).

In His “sermon on the mount,” Jesus offered a similar warning about being too presumptuous about the future, even one day ahead. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

Someone has wisely observed that “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” This doesn’t prohibit us from setting goals, planning for the future, or trying to figure out how to complete our “bucket list.” That new job or next promotion probably will require some preparations. Next summer’s vacation arrangements won’t take care of themselves. And forward-thinking for Christmas is well-advised. But these all should be filtered through a willingness to submit to God’s plans, knowing His are superior to our own.

As Jesus told his audience, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Antidote for Fear, Anxiety and Worry

In case you haven’t noticed, there seem to be lots of things going on these days to spike our anxiety levels. To paraphrase poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How do I fear thee? Let me count the ways.”

Among our top choices are, in no particular order of importance or seriousness: North Korea; ISIS; terrorism in general; the Russians; Donald Trump; liberals (or conservatives, depending on one’s political bent); volatile weather, climate change or global warming (or whatever the experts are calling it this week); volcanoes; sinkholes; forest fires; ideological extremists of all sorts; gun people (or anti-gun people, again depending on personal views); diseases; pit bulls (my apologies to pit bull lovers); the economy; killer bees; maybe even your next-door neighbor.

As MAD magazine's Alfred E. Neuman
used to say, "What? Me worry?"

And if none of those things make us anxious or fearful, we can trust the media to change that. In fact, MSNBC’s Brian Williams recently stated, “(it is) our job actually to scare people to death” over North Korea. He might have added the national media believe it’s their job to scare people to death over just about everything.

Hearing the iconic declaration by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. President, from his inaugural address in 1933, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” we’re tempted to respond, “Yeah, but you haven’t read today’s newspaper or listened to the evening news!”

My point isn’t to discuss any of these unsettling issues. We live in an often frightening, unpredictable world. When we can’t control things, they scare us. If we’re not fearful, anxious or worried about something, just wait a little while. We’ll think of something. But living in a state of high-alert stress is emotionally taxing, physically debilitating – and not much fun.

So, what are we to do? We can easily decide not to fear the abominable snowman (at least so far), zombies, the boogeyman, and the big bad wolf. But most of the things listed above are legitimate concerns. How can we not feel fearful?

Jesus gave the answer in His “sermon on the mount.” After covering a variety of topics, He segued to the subjects of worry, fear and anxiety. The Lord started by announcing, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25-27).

Many of us read this and conclude it sounds good in theory, but in practice, not so much. Fear is natural, we reason. And what’s more, feeling afraid seems like we’re doing something even if there’s nothing we can do. The thing is, when Jesus said this, He was talking all-inclusively, no exceptions.

But again, how can we do this? Surrounded by fearsome circumstances, how can we help feeling afraid and anxious? The Lord closed this portion of His message with the answer: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).

Some read this and say, “Aha! See? Jesus admitted each day has its own trouble!” That’s correct, but repeatedly the Scriptures tell us trusting in God – no matter what happens to us or around us – is the antidote to fear, anxiety and worry.

Isaiah 26:3 offers this assurance: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in (God).” A bit later we find these words in the same prophetic book: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

An oft-quoted passage promises, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, that transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Another verse offers similar comfort: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Let’s face it: If we’re wanting to find something in this world to worry about and fear, we don’t have to look far. But as a friend of mine used to say, “You can’t stop birds from flying over your head – but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” If we place our trust in the eternal, transcendent God rather than the ominous, gloom-and-doom proclamations we get from multi-faceted, 24/7 news and information media, we can shoo away needless fear, anxiety and worry, ordering them to build their nests somewhere else.

Pondering the Future Presents Problems in the Present

Seems like there’s no time like the present to obsess about the future. Have you noticed how much the future dominates our thinking these days? Whether it’s about what’s going to happen in the White House and Washington, D.C.; the ever-present threat of global terrorism; wondering what in the world’s going on with the weather; where the economy will go, or any number of other looming concerns, everyone’s wondering what the future holds.

I don’t know who said it first, but with each passing day the quip, “The future isn’t what it used to be,” sounds more profound. Consider the visions we held just five or 10 years ago – certainly 20 or 30 years ago – about what the future would bring. Many of these expectations have not only proved inaccurate, but we’ve also discovered some of what did happen didn’t fit anything we could have imagined.

As a boy and young man, I enjoyed pondering the future. I read a lot about it – books by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and others captivated me. No one has yet invented a means for time travel, but that hasn’t stopped the making of films like “Back to the Future” and its sequels, dystopian horror-thrillers that feed on fears of what may lie ahead, or the recent surge of time-travel dramas on TV that explore both past and future.

It’s a good thing the future doesn’t hit us all at once. As Abraham Lincoln noted, “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” In his case, this observation was especially poignant since President Abe had no inkling of his tragic encounter at the Ford Theatre with John Wilkes Booth.

Even minor car accidents have a way of
thrusting aside concerns for the future.

Even one day at a time, however, anticipating the future can prove unsettling. This is hardly a 21^st century phenomenon. Fretting about what the next hour, day, week or year might present is a practice as old as time. Wondering is one thing – but worrying is quite another.

In addressing how pointless it is to worry about what could be, Jesus offered this caution: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). Proverbs 27:1 expressed this truth a bit differently: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

As we’re stewing over tomorrow’s uncertainties, unplanned and unexpected events have a way of rattling our todays. Like my quick run to the grocery store several weeks ago when another driver steered her car into mine. She apparently forgot the law of physics that two objects can’t occupy the same space at the same time. My planned few-minute trip lasted nearly a half-hour, and portions of the next several days were spent dealing with the aftermath.

For those of us who profess to follow Jesus Christ, preoccupation with the future is symptomatic of an even greater problem: Lack of trust in the Lord. Speaking to an assembled crowd, Jesus asked, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26).

Perhaps this realization was a backdrop for King Solomon’s declaration when he said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). We risk becoming so concerned about the future we can’t control that we fail to properly handle matters that are within our present control.

As the apostle James wrote, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Sobered by the realization that we could be here today and gone tomorrow, we’d be wise to give the present most of our attention. It’s foolish to get “misty” about the future with the concrete present at hand.