It's New Year's Eve. Again. To many, it's an annual a day of reflection, soul-searching, goal-setting, planning and making a brand new shiny list of life-changing resolutions for the shiny brand new year. I won't need to do that - I can just pull out the list from last year:
Losing weight. Living a healthier lifestyle. Saving money (a lot of it). Getting organized. Reading the Bible all the way through.
If history has taught me anything, it's that, come mid-January, my weight will be the same, My Reeboks will still be in the same corner. I'll still be broke, my closets will still be danger zones (only if you open the doors), and the bookmark in my Bible will still be stuck in Genesis. And I'll feel guilty. I've let the New Year down again.
But, not this year. For me, 2011 will be the Year of Living In The Now.
Don't get me wrong - making plans and having goals are good things. I remember Adrian Rogers saying, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." What I'm talking about is living my life TODAY, in the now. Doing what I can do today to make a difference.
I'm thinking this is even biblical. Proverbs 27:1 says "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." James tells me (in chapter 4, verse 14) that I don't know what will happen tomorrow, that my life is a mist that appears for a while, and then vanishes. And Jesus Himself said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt. 6:34)
One Day At A Time thinking. I'm calling it Living In The Now. Not spending so much time regretting what I did or didn't do yesterday, or what may happen tomorrow that it sucks the joy out of living today. If my focus is on yesterday's failures or tomorrow's problems, I'll miss today's opportunities.
So, today, I will ask God to help me make good choices - in what I eat, how I spend my time, the money I make or spend, the words I say.
Today, I will share a kind word with a sad, struggling soul, hug someone I love a little tighter, and look for a way to serve a stranger. I will pray for someone else today.
Today, I will spend time in God's Word. I'll talk to Him, and, more importantly, I'll listen to Him.
Today, I will take a walk. I'll take a few minutes to think, to reflect, to be grateful.
Today, I will treasure the gift of these 24 hours, knowing they are a gift from my Maker.
Today, I will Live In The Now.
I'll check back with you next New Year's Eve and let you know how my year went.
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
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