You Are Here—Whether You Like It or Not

You Are Here—Whether You Like It or Not

Posted on by Michele Morin

When he was dying of pancreatic cancer, author and New York City pastor Tim Keller made the surprising observation that although cancer was taking its toll on his body, he and his wife, Kathy, would never want to go back to the kind of prayer life or spiritual life he had before the cancer.

Knowing his time was limited forced him to tell the truth to himself. A cancer diagnosis ends the fantasy that you’re going to live forever. That would certainly change the way one prays.

Psalm 90 says: “Teach us to number our days that we get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, ESV). This is not guidance only for the terminally ill. It’s intended for all of us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could grab hold of the prayer of pancreatic cancer without having to get the disease?

My own personal wake-up call came in the form of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis at the age of 59. That’s not a death sentence, but it is a life sentence. Managing an incurable neurodegenerative disease is like having a part-time job… without the paycheck. If the aging process is fire, PD is gasoline.

Psalm 90 says: “Teach us to number our days that we get a heart of wisdom.” This is not guidance only for the terminally ill. It’s intended for all of us.

You Are Here

It’s been a long time since I stood in a shopping mall, but the exercises and medication, the forbearance that requires me to ask, “Is this something I can handle today?” all function like the mall’s iconic “You Are Here” sign.
Here I am.
And I hope that my experience with a failing body will change the way I pray.

I’ve been catching up on some great books published in the 1970’s, and one of them is True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer. He is helping me to think about what it means to “number our days” (as the psalmist prescribes) by living one moment at a time. The theological basis of his argument keeps his “moment by moment” advice from landing like a pile of self-help happy talk:

If we are Christians, we have understood and acted upon the finished work of Christ once for all at our justification, and our guilt is gone forever. Now let us understand and act upon the practice of that same work moment by moment in our present lives.” 1

The power that fueled our salvation is available for whatever sandpaper our sanctification process dishes out. Thus, I imagine prayer with Parkinson’s disease sounds very similar to Tim Keller’s prayer with pancreatic cancer. The present moment is the only known quantity, so it doesn’t serve me well to project into the future or to prescribe an action plan to God as his Northeast Representative.

Instead, prayer becomes the means by which I will practice believing God’s promises in the present moment, living by faith that is given in that moment. Schaeffer goes on:

This morning’s faith will never do for this noon. The faith of this noon will never do for supper time. The faith of supper time will never do for the time of going to bed. The faith of midnight will never do for the next morning. Thank God for the reality for which we were created, a moment-by-moment communication with God himself.” 2

And if that last sentence is not a definition for prayer, I don’t know what is…

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,

Prayer is the means by which I will practice believing God’s promises in the present moment, living by faith that is given in that moment.

I’ve Got a New Devotional Plan Ready for You

Grief comes to everyone sooner or later, and whether it’s the death of a loved one or the loss of some cherished aspect of our life or identity, God’s Word is crucial for grieving well. Past hurts have a habit of snagging our hearts in unexpected moments, but God provides abundant grace to help the believer move through grief without getting stuck and without wasting the opportunity to walk more closely with the Lord who lightens our darkness.

As you know, I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path. At Living Our Days, I provide biblical content and resources to encourage biblical literacy and faithful living, and now I’m sharing devotional content on the YouVersion app. Visit my profile page to get free access to all the reading plans!

Have You Read the Latest Newsletter?

On the third Wednesday of every month, I send a newsletter with biblical encouragement straight to my subscribers’ email inboxes. Frequently, I share free resources, and the newsletter is where all the news lands first.

CLICK HERE to find me on Substack, where my goal is to help you on the path of becoming a confident follower of God and a student of His Word.

  1. Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality (1970), 85 ↩︎
  2. Ibid, 87 ↩︎

Photo by Luke Chesser on Unsplash

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

26 thoughts on “You Are Here—Whether You Like It or Not”

  1. I so understand the challenge of dealing with a disability even as we must wrap our brains around losing ground to aging. Since I cannot change what I can not change, it makes no sense to kick against the pricks so I take it a day at a time. I know you do too. Grateful for whatever is in the glass. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

  2. A worthwhile thing for every year and day.
    “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.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I like your use of the word “design.” Life can feel very chaotic and random unless we look to our Designer for purpose and trust in his good intentions toward us.

      Like

  4. In this busy season I’ve been maneuvering through, I understand more keenly the need to be more present with the littles that walk through my daily. When my husband was given the heart-valve replacement need followed immediately by the cancer nodule is his lung need–prayer and trust in Him led us to a space within the veil of His presence–and once you’ve been there, stepping outside of it feels like leaving the security of the kind of home, the kind of Kingdom whose comfort and security only found in God when you give it all up to Him. It’s almost like you’ve been chased by a deadly band of enemy soldiers–and God comes Himself to take you swiftly to His safe house.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. This is such a vivid image of God as our refuge and strength. I’m trying to memorize Psalm 27 right now, so full of beautiful imagery of his protection: “For he will hide me in his shelter
      in the day of trouble;
      he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
      he will lift me high upon a rock.”
      This is where we NEED to be.

      Like

    1. Do you think that’s a gift (and a burden) that comes with the aging process? We grow into an awareness that we are dependent. And if we’re wise, we begin to realize that we have been all along, but didn’t acknowledge it.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. “Moment by moment communication with God,” that’s my goal in life, alongside hearing “Well done good and faithful servant,” when I get Home.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. The older I get, the more I understand the importance of accepting reality as it is. Knowing “you are here” is the starting point for contentment, even when the “here” is a difficult place. Thanks for sharing your wisdom about this, Michele.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. When we were younger, we probably would have thought of it as complacence, but there is so much wisdom in receiving what God gives. Even if it’s not what we would have asked for. I know you are also living this learning curve.

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  8. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I’m not very competent in living in the present and taking it one moment at a time. And yet, even this old dog can learn a trick or two.

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  9. You, my friend are an inspiration. You do not let PD define you. Sadly, I know several people who have received “life sentences” similar to yours and they have given up on life. This mindset puts others in their lives as servants instead of friend or family member.

    Thank you for showing us over and over that there is a better way to approach life’s trials.

    One Word 2026 – May

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Michele, I am always encouraged and challenged by your word of the year posts. My prayers have changed some this past year too … less projecting into the future and telling God what to do and more peace with trusting that He will accomplish His purposes how–and when–He sees fit. I still get impatient when it comes to waiting for those purposes to be revealed, of course. I suppose that comes with being a work in progress, right? 🙂

    Like

  11. Hummm. We often think of living one day at a time. But you stopped me in my tracks today with living moment to moment. That’s big. I’m going to be pausing to reflect on this and letting your words wash over me, in His name. And I’m moved by the Francis Schaeffer quote. I’m going to have to look him up.

    Visiting today from Lisa’s

    Like

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