When I was a kid time seemed to go by so slowly. It took forever for Christmas to come around. It took an eternity for school to finally come to an end in May and for summer to begin.
How things have changed! It seems like Easter was only a few weeks ago. I cannot believe that we are in the year 2015! It just seems that time goes by too quickly. It is hard to find the brakes to slow things down a bit.
Do you ever feel that way? You are not alone. In the Old Testament, Job proclaimed, "My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good. They pass by like swift ships, like an eagle swooping on its prey." (Job 9: 25-26) Shakespeare wrote these immortal words in Macbeth: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day; to the last syllable of recorded time." (Act V, Scene V)
How can we learn to deal with the swift passage of time? I think part of the secret is learning the art of living one day at a time; to put our very best into every day. So often, we waste precious time worrying about yesterday. And too many of us fear tomorrow. We end up spending so much time worrying about yesterday and fearing tomorrow that we do not enjoy today!
A friend gave me a cartoon the other day that shows a young girl having a conversation with a little boy. She says these profound words: "Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a GIFT. That's why it's called the present." I like that.
Scripture affirms, "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118: 24)
May God give us the wisdom to really live THIS DAY to the very fullest . . . the present!