{"id":18886,"date":"2026-06-25T10:53:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshhope.us\/?p=18886"},"modified":"2026-06-25T10:53:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:53:38","slug":"living-in-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshhope.us\/es\/living-in-the-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Vivir el Momento"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sun was coming in the bottom of the open window, and from the small bit of sky that I could see, it was clear and blue. The forecast had indicated 70s today, and since I live in a high desert state, very little humidity. An absolutely lovely day, by almost anyone\u2019s definition!<\/span><\/p>\n

But instead of focusing on the glorious day, or even taking a moment to thank God for it, I rolled away from the window and scrunched my eyes closed. And my thoughts began to race. Not in prayer, but in fear and anxiety. My mind, unbidden, began to focus on a week from now, and all that I was going to have to do in a very short time.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was thinking about how there was going to be \u201cstuff\u201d in every nook and cranny, and how were we (me and my husband, my sister and hers) going to sort through it all and pare it down drastically to make it comfortable for my parents as we move them from the house of 30 years to a two-bedroom first-floor apartment?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen was the last time those magazines had even been looked at? Could we just get rid of them, or do we have to ask first? And what\u2019s in the hall cupboards? Can we toss stuff from the kitchen?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I caught myself, and so I began to pray.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLord, help me start my morning with You, not with a to-do list for a week that hasn\u2019t even arrived yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That worked for about five minutes. Then I realized I was already thinking about who I needed to contact tomorrow and what I needed to follow up on next.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agh!<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, I gently pulled my thoughts back: \u201cStart the day with God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, I threw myself out of bed, hoping that by sitting in my chair where I have my morning devotions, it would help me focus on the Lord and not my to-dos.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been someone who loves a list. Actually, I love the checkmark I make when I take something off my list. But lately \u2014 especially this week \u2014 the Holy Spirit has been showing me that my constant focus on my list was beginning to crowd out my priorities: God first, family second, ministry third.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of moving our parents, that would be #2 and #3 combined. But still, <\/span>God is to come first!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Not only that, but I was missing a beautiful morning because I was so distracted by everything waiting ahead of me. What I could have done was take my coffee and my prayers outside and sit in the beauty of the morning. Instead, I was mentally racing down the path of what was coming later this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

I realized I wasn\u2019t really living in today at all. I was already emotionally living in next week.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the hardest things about living with emotional pain, mental health struggles, chronic illness, or overwhelming life circumstances is that our minds constantly run ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t just carry today\u2019s pain, tasks, or fears. We carry tomorrow\u2019s too.<\/span><\/p>\n

What if this gets worse?<\/span><\/p>\n

What if I never feel better?<\/span><\/p>\n

What if I can\u2019t handle what\u2019s coming?<\/span><\/p>\n

What if this situation never changes?<\/span><\/p>\n

But Jesus speaks directly into that spiral of future-focused fear:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.\u201d \u2014 Matthew 6:34<\/span><\/p>\n

Notice something important: Jesus does not deny that today has trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n

He simply reminds us that God only asks us to carry today\u2019s portion.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a difference between preparing wisely for the future and emotionally living there. Many of us spend enormous amounts of energy suffering through imagined tomorrows while missing the grace and beauty that God is giving us right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s pattern throughout Scripture is daily dependence.<\/span><\/p>\n