After almost thirty-six years of marriage, my good husband and I agree on most things and are pretty compatible. That’s been a gift to both of us. The one area that still stimulates “discussions” between us is our orientation to time.
He is firmly planted in the present moment.
I am already living in the future.
As a result, he enjoys our baby grandsons, keeps the firewood rack filled and the woodstove burning, pays our bills, and explains common denominators to a fifth-grader without worrying about the next thing. When he’s doing something, that’s what he’s doing. Somehow, he stays present to the moment, present to the task at hand or the person before him.
I’ll admit that thinking ahead has served me well, and I suppose there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to experience the world. However, I confess to a certain level of envy of my husband’s orientation to time.
Maybe it’s because, in this, I see the life of Jesus.
In John 4, we learn that Jesus walked all the way to unsavory Samaria so he could have a conversation with one woman. Then, he continued on his way to Galilee.
In Mark 5, Jesus followed Jairus home in the midst of a throng, on the urgent business of healing the man’s daughter. Detecting the touch of a woman’s hand on his garments, he singled her out, paid attention to her need, and healed her.
In Mark 9, Jesus listened to the sad story of a father with only 50-50 faith and then healed his son.
Jesus knew he had come with a built-in purpose: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45), to bring eternal life (John 3:16). Even so, he didn’t let the big picture get in the way of the present moment. He loved “the world,” but he also loved the raggedy person standing before him.
Jesus loved “the world,” but he also loved the raggedy person standing before him.
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What’s your orientation to time?
Are you stuck in the past, wishing for the good old days?
Are you racing through today because you’ve got “stuff to do” tomorrow?
Do you find it natural to take life as it comes to you, one moment at a time?
Here’s my prayer for all of us as we live our days in the present—in the presence of God:
Lord, you are the Keeper of the clock.
Truly, “our times are in your hands,” and you alone know how many tomorrows we will be given.
By grace, may we cherish the present moment, and, like your Son, embody our life’s purpose without being swallowed up by it.
Give us a heart for the person in front of us, a desire to do the humble tasks that give structure to our days, and a love for life that spills over into this hurting world.
Amen
In 2026, I want to be more present— wherever I am. When I am with the people I love, I want to be all there. I need to inhabit fully the time and space God has ordained for me to inhabit, to stay present to the emotions that come and the season I’m living through.
I’ll be writing one post every month on the theme. To find them all, CLICK HERE.
Holding You in the Light,
Jesus knew he had come with a built-in purpose: “to seek and to save that which was lost,” “to give his life as a ransom for many,” to bring eternal life. Even so, he didn’t let the big picture get in the way of the present moment.
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