PRESENT IN THE PRESENT

Jesus was present in the present,
whether He was healing a blind beggar,
speaking truth to a rich young ruler,
cleansing the temple,
revealing heart motives to the Pharisees,
answering questions designed to trap Him,
watching those who were depositing their gifts in the treasury,
defending the act of a grateful heart,
eating a meal with his disciples,
knowing His betrayer was there
and had already struck an agreement with the priests,
listening to Peter's declaration of faithfulness,
struggling to align His will with the Father's in the Garden
while His disciples slept,
standing before the Sanhedrin,
hearing the cries of “Crucify Him!” and “We want Barabbas”,
or enduring the weight of our sin and the shame of the cross
until He breathed His last.

Being present in the present was a gift to those about Him.
He involved in the present,
letting go of what had been without regret
and
without dread of what was yet to be.

He had the simple trust of a child in His Father,
a confidence that God Almighty is the great “I AM,”
sufficient in strength to meet all of His needs,
aware of, and unintimidated by, all that was, is, and will be,
and capable of bringing it all together
in a way that will bring Him honor and glory
when the whole story is known.

To ponder:
Because living in the present is such a gift to those around us,
we should learn the “how to” of doing it.
It is choosing not to focus on what was or yet may be;
it is not wishing to be elsewhere or in a different time frame.
To live fully in the present, one must embrace what is.
By issuing a directive to ourselves that
God is Who He says that He is,
and reminding ourselves of His past faithfulness,
we can live with confidence in the present.

Twila Charles Leichty - L30