Living in the moment

Present Tense

It was spring, but it was summer I wanted the  warm days,
and the great outdoors.

It was summer, but it was fall I wanted,
the colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.

It was fall, but it was winter I wanted,
the beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.

It was winter, but it was spring I wanted,
the warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted,
the freedom and respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted, to be mature, and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted, the youth and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle age I wanted, the presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.

- Jason Lehman

When I heard this poem recited last autumn, I resonated with the idea of being content and living in the moment, despite what I think I want or what I would wish.  I want to serve Jesus and enjoy today.  He’s put great people around me (my strong husband, my vivacious kiddos, my extended family, and my new community) and I don’t want to miss out on the moments we have together.  I can’t go back and fix some things in my past, so I shouldn’t live in regret.  And I don’t want to be so absorbed in dreaming of tomorrow that I miss today, with the joys and sorrow and focus that Jesus is asking me to have now.

I keep learning each year how fickle we humans are, how fickle I can be.  If I’m being very honest with you and myself, I don’t know what I need most of the time.  I often ask God to answer the prayers that need to be answered.  I don’t have the infinite ability to grasp how He wants to use me or what I’m to be presently learning.

How about you? What season are you in? Are you glad you are in it, or are you longing for another one?  What has God been revealing to you lately that you can’t get away from?

My prayer:   Lord, I do not know what I need; I am fickle and always wanting more, but help me to be content with my life and circumstances…wanting to always please you – My Father.

[learn_more caption="About the poem" state="open"]Jason was 14 when he wrote this poem. It was published in a Dear Abby column, on February 14th 1989. I heard Luci Swindoll give this reading during Women of Faith in Portland, OR, Autumn 2010.[/learn_more]