Summary: <br> I recently heard adulthood is a never ending perpetual cycle of waiting for life to calm down, then you die. Is that you? Right now life is busy and hectic, it’s uncertain and stressed … but when it calms down, whew doggies look out, you’re gonna live! You’re going to start waking up earlier to watch that sunrise. You’ll sit and sip your coffee in pure delight. You’ll have time and energy. You will be proud of yourself and walk with confidence. Oh yes, that day is coming, that day when life calms down and you can be truly happy, and when it does, you’re going to live!<br> No you’re not! The very heartbeat of life is a rhythm of ups and downs, when it calms down your ride is over sister. We’re saving up our happy for an imaginary destination in life that doesn’t exist. Right here, right now, this is where you can live. Yes, this season of life, this one with it’s chaos and messes, this is where living happens. In the absence of calm is where you find the living.<br> It’s a nasty ploy of the enemy to convince you that sometime in the future you will have the time, energy and resources to do the things you want to do with your life. When life calms down … then. But right now, well this is just about surviving. Just get through this time you’re in now.<br> The truth is, we’re living perfectly good days of life in survival mode, in the absence of a crisis. Hey listen to me, that crisis may come and you may need to just get through it, but if your life is free of an absolute undeniable crisis today, then you better be living! The enemy’s plan is to kill, steal and destroy. Never lose sight of that. Has he been killing your happiness, stealing your joy, destroying your TODAY with a focus on tomorrow? Oh how he tricks us into missing today because of the worries of tomorrow, or missing today because of the hopes that somehow a future tomorrow will be better than the one we ended up with today.<br> Ephesians 5: 15-16 says “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity.” How do fools live? They miss opportunities? They don’t show up for life. Be careful how you live and make the most of every opportunity. Today is full of opportunities … what will you do with them? What if your response to today’s opportunities determine tomorrow’s offering? Yes, what if future opportunities are earned through using, enjoying, savoring that which has already been given to us?<br> Why wouldn’t you wake up and watch the sunrise today? Why wouldn’t you eat healthy delicious foods that make your body feel so good today? Why wouldn’t you dance to your favorite song? Why wouldn’t you wear your favorite shoes? Why wouldn’t you passionately kiss the person you love? Why? Because it’s just an ordinary weekday? Hey, the majority of your life is just an ordinary weekday. If we don’t learn to embrace living on these ordinary days, we miss the lump sum of what we’ve been given. Don’t miss THIS DAY. What has God given you in this DAY? Answer … a lot!<br> I used to think if I didn’t intentionally live my life, then my life just wouldn’t be lived. Now I know that’s not true. We will still live. We will still exist. Your life WILL just live itself. It will go on with or without your intentional effort. You don’t have to try to breathe. Your body functions without you even really trying. And here we are, these miraculous beings who are the masterpieces of the almighty creator, just letting life live itself. We’re just here, but not fully here. We’re showing up, but not bringing the best of us. Where is the best of us? Buried under layers of regret, guilt, shame and laziness. Dang it’s hard to even recognize the masterpiece with all we’ve layered ...
