This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
I think I was in the 8th grade. I was standing in a longer than usual line in the school cafeteria to get my lunch, and I starting thinking about the future. I was at that point in my development when I was really noticing girls. And I knew that more than likely, I would marry one some day in the future. But that wasn’t going to be anytime soon. There just isn’t too much of a market for 14 year old grooms.
Nevertheless, I’m standing there looking at a couple of dozen girls standing in line, and I remember asking the Lord to show me which one was going to be my future wife. At the time, I had no concept that there would be any possibilities outside of my junior high school world. So the one for me just had to be in that room.
It should not surprise you that God didn’t reveal anyone to me that day. In fact my future wife wasn’t even in the city where I lived. And I wouldn’t meet her until I was in college. Nevertheless, there I was longing for some unknown future to be revealed.
Before you become embarrassed for me at my young teen immaturity, you may have more in common with me than you think. For some reason we have a hard time living in the present moment. When we’re younger, we’re yearning for something to come in the future. We look forward to getting our driver’s license, graduating from high school, getting our first job, buying our first house, getting married, retiring, and more. We can hardly wait until we reach some milestone. Unfortunately, when we do, we have little time to enjoy it, because we’re off longing for the next one.
Then at some point, our longings shift from the future to the past. We look back and pine away for something we no longer have: like our youth, our kids still being little, days of better health, or a world that seems to be filled with endless opportunities. I’ve done this myself from time to time. And it’s life robbing.
How much better we would be if we could learn from the Psalmist. “This is the day the Lord has made.” Of course, He made the day before, and He will make tomorrow. But we can’t live in either of these. We only have today, the present moment. And what should we do with the present moment? The Psalmist says that we should rejoice in it. It’s another day to live, another day to spend with loved ones, another day to walk with God. We should rejoice in it.
So as you prepare for a new year, you may have some dreams about the future that propel you forward. You may also have some memories that remind you of blessings that come your way in the past. These are good things. But don’t let either of them rob you of the joy of this day.