This Is Living Now

         

On June 14th, 2015, I hopped into a kayak and went sailing down the inland in Morehead City with my parents and their sweet friends from college. We headed over to a cute little island with a nice beach area, and we decided to get out and swim for a bit.

After maybe two minutes of being in the water, I felt a weird and painful sensation in my foot, lifted it up, saw a gruesome sight of gushing blood and yelled, “Mom, hurry, the sharks are gonna get me!” (For those wondering, our best guess is that I stepped on a sharp oyster shell.)

Long story short, I spent a nice afternoon in the ER getting 13 stitches in the bottom of my foot and learning to walk on crutches.

The period of recovery I anticipated was a lot prettier (and shorter) than what really played out in reality. In the grand scheme of things, this was nothing, and I feel so silly writing as if it was a terrible tragedy. But at the time, I felt hopeless.

It seemed like I was sitting there watching the precious moments of summer pass by, and I couldn’t do a thing. To make matters worse, my youth group was gone to an awesome camp at the beach, Caswell, and I had been ecstatic for the trip for months, but I obviously couldn’t go at that point. It was truly a valley in my life, and I didn’t understand what God was doing or how it could ever benefit me.

And to be vulnerable and honest, sometimes I still feel that way. Sometimes, I get bored with the tedium of my routine and wonder if I am ever going to do anything extraordinary. Sometimes, I scroll through Instagram and feel envious for the idea of having an adventurous, exciting life it seems like everyone else has. Sometimes, I hear of incredible accomplishments made by 12-year-olds and I think, “Wow, I’m 17 already and my achievements are nowhere near theirs.”

Lately, I have been working on grasping this concept, and I think it is important to share. My proposal is this: the days when I was simply sitting around my house all day were just as meaningful, lively, and full as the days I could have been at camp or somewhere else exploring and adventuring.

I think society places a high value on relating happiness, fulfillment, and success to busyness. Our world tells us that a life full of travel, activities, and social events is what life really is. We hear in roundabout ways that if we aren’t taking risks, meeting people, and having fun, we are certainly missing out.

I think part of that is true—I believe God made us to live life to the full by adventuring, laughing, taking action and being spontaneous. Whenever I find myself in a season filled with genuine joy, I picture God smiling and thinking how wonderful it is to see his daughter enjoying His creation.

However, you can seek fun all you want, and it will bring you happiness for a while, but you will always end up right back where you started. It’s exhausting to live an aimless life constantly searching for fleeting moments that will never leave us satisfied.

I think God’s proudest moments of us are when he sees us simply working hard and finding enjoyment in our everyday tasks. He loves watching us excel at what He’s called us to do, which could be anything from being a janitor to being a doctor. I believe that an 80 year old who sits on the recliner knitting scarves and watching “The Price Is Right” can be just as full of life as a college student busy with activities!

There is a song by Hillsong Young and Free called “This Is Living Now.” It goes:

 See the sun now bursting through the clouds

Black and white turns to color all around

All is new, in the Savior I am found

This is living now

When you have a mindset of living for and with the Lord, suddenly everything you do—from going to school/work to going skydiving—is filled with passion, joy, purpose, and contentment. John 8:12 says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

It’s hard to find a balance between soaking up every sweet moment of life and realizing that this life is not even the life we are made for. Any idea of joy and fun we experience here on earth with pale in comparison to the time we will have in heaven!

I don’t know about you, but I need to stop worrying about all the things I could be doing and all the places I could be going, and just rest. I need to realize that going about my everyday duties, cherishing the people who are in my life, and knowing that I am a child of the One True King—this is living now.

picture on right from http://www.nettyandsamestes.com/did-your-dad-ever-tell-you-to-live-life-to-the-fullest/