By David Hegg
I think it was around my 40th year that I realized how much time I’d spent living in the future. Much of my life was filled with tasks and goals deemed valuable only because they prepared me for whatever came next. I remember receiving a basketball for Christmas in third grade and practicing so I could get picked for an intramural team. Then, I set my sights on making the junior high team, then the high school team, and so on. I worked hard to get into college, only to learn college grades were about getting into the right grad school, which would prepare me for the next step in life. This future-focused mindset bled into every area of my life.
As a married couple, we rented an apartment to save for a small house. When we finally bought one, we looked into how to “move up” to a larger house later. Even raising children had this sense of always needing to anticipate the future: Should we buy her 12-month clothes, or the 18-month size she’ll grow into soon? When she crawled, we prepared for her to walk; when she walked, we started strategizing about sports, schooling and eventually, college. Each step was about prepping for the next.
This way of living — shaping today only with the future in mind — has its value and necessity. But over time, it can also rob us of the simple joys and unique delights each day offers.
Consider the Christmas season. If you’re like me, you may have already mapped out the weeks until Dec. 25 and felt the looming pressure of all the obligations. You’ve likely scheduled parties, concerts, meals and banquets, and slotted in time for shopping, cleaning, cooking and mailing. In all this, Christmas can begin to feel like a treadmill — a marathon of tasks to survive. You may find yourself tired before the season even begins, the joy leached away by living, not for today, but for the relief when it’s finally over. Is that really how it should be? What if we stepped away from our future-focused mindset and chose to see each day this season as a gift? What if every day was a unique set of experiences, given to us by God, never to be repeated? What if we resolved to stop and enjoy the day for what it is — appreciating the tasks and appointments, cherishing the relationships?
I admit, as Christmas approached this year, I dreaded some of the usual chores. Looking at the house after Thanksgiving, the thought of hauling down bins, testing lights, wrestling with the ladder and maneuvering around the roof didn’t excite me. Stringing up the tree and lights felt more like an obligation than a joy.
But then I remembered that my grandkids would be spending Christmas with us. Suddenly, everything changed. I imagined them looking up in wonder at Papa’s lights, and my attitude shifted instantly. It reminded me of how children approach life: They haven’t yet learned to live constantly in the future. They dive into the present, finding wonder in the everyday, letting the beauty of each moment and its opportunities fill them.
So, I’ve decided to live this season in the moment. I’m going to get the most out of whatever is on my schedule each day and not think of it as an obligatory step in a longer journey. No, I’m not suggesting we give in to the philosophy to “live for today” and not worry about making wise choices. Instead, the best way to ward off the staleness and seeming drudgery of the season is to see each day through the eyes of a child. See each day as another unique gift from God, filled with delights that can only be seen and enjoyed if you pause long enough to see and enjoy them. Today is unique, and so is tomorrow. Don’t miss what life and love have for you today, and just around the corner!
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
