Today is a Day

Have you ever said something mainly for yourself and then find out a couple of years later it encouraged someone else? Then they share it and it encouraged someone else. Crazy! I didn't think it would mean anything to anybody.

It goes back to that time right before summer 2009 when a group of us gathered at Hayley's to pray about our summer mission trips. I prayed that we wouldn't look at it as 5 more days until we go home, 4 more days until we get to go home, rather only 5 more days to serve the Lord here, only 4 days left to share the Gospel here, etc... I prayed that mainly for myself. I was going away for 2 months, and that scared me.

Two years later (Summer 2011), incidentally in the same country I spent summer 2009 in, Jessica, who was there that day we prayed, shares with me that she never forgot that prayer and how much of an encouragement that was to her. Then at a BCM leadership meeting about a month ago when they recognized the seniors and people shared a little about them Jessica mentions that.

Today, Gracie told me how much of an encouragement it has been to her. And how she doesn't look at it as just for mission trips but for everyday. Not to just look at the day as 1 more day until the weekend but as a day in itself, today. Live in today. Wham, just like that my encouragement came back to me as encouragement, looking at everyday in that manner and not just mission trips.

Looking at everyday like that echoes back to what Krista said during summer 2009. We're always looking ahead, for the next thing. We miss what's happening now. In class we look to when class ends. On the weekdays we look at how many more days until the weekend. That's the very way I look at time itself. I don't look at time to see what time it is but to see how long until the next hour or a certain time. At 9:40 I don't see that it is 9:40. I see it as 20 more minutes. If someone were to ask what time it was I wouldn't be able to answer; I'd have to look again.

It's not bad or wrong to look ahead. Just don't make that your concentration. Don't lose sight of what is happening here and now.