Posts Tagged: living in the moment
“Living in the moment or for the moment?”
Prepositions are little words that matter a lot.
For example, think of two statements that sound almost identical:
“I’m living in the moment.”
“I’m living for the moment.”
The same difference? I don’t think so!
Living in the moment is a good thing. In fact, when else can any of us really live? Living in the past is another word for nostalgia or regret. However, it can scarcely be said to be really living.
Living in the future is either fantasy or anxiety. Again, neither of these is truly living.
The present is where it is at. This does not apply only to an enjoyable present. Often, the present is not enjoyable. To pretend otherwise is not wise.
Still, to attempt to live somewhere other than where I am at any given moment is not simply unwise; it is impossible. Being at some time that isn’t present is like being some where you’re not.
So much for the important preposition “in!” What about “for?”
Living for the moment is another matter altogether.
This philosophy of life is encapsulated in a saying from the 1960s: “If it feels good, do it!” I heard a speaker once say, that whenever he saw that saying on a bumper sticker, he always wanted to rear-end the car. When the driver asked, “Why did you do that?!?” the speaker was going to say, “I just always thought it would feel good!” I am assuming that the speaker never followed through on this fantasy.
I have often tried this approach, and it has never worked out well for me. Perhaps this is not true of everyone, but for me, every time I’ve tried it, I have regretted it (or at least the outcome). I’ve said the first thing that came to mind, and lost a friend, or hurt my wife. I’ve eaten impulsively, and gained weight—as recently as yesterday! You get the picture.
Of course, this “live-for-the-moment” approach would work very well, if in fact what felt good for the moment was truly good. However, I do not think that feeling good can be identified with what is good. In fact, they are frequently (though not always) sworn enemies.
I’m sure that some of my readers are saying to themselves, “Well, the good sounds pretty dismal. I don’t think I’m interested.” So, let me come in with a good word for the truly good.
I believe that the truly good feels good in the long term. However, it simply does not feel good in the short term.
More about this in tomorrow’s post!
“LIVING FOR THE MOMENT OR IN THE MOMENT?
My daily affirmation for today is as follows: “Today, by the grace of God, I will focus on the good stuff about God, other people, the world, and myself.”
When I sent my sponsor this affirmation, he commented, “My attention for your affirmation is focus. To me it means living in the moment.”
I replied, “Dear ______,
That is a very good point.
Living only for the moment has gotten me into a lot of trouble in the past, and the results of such living persist to this day.
However, living in the moment is a very good thing.
Prepositions matter! (I think I feel a blog post coming on! Or, perhaps it’s just the flu.)”
Of course, I may be splitting grammatical/lexical hairs here. However, I don’t think so. Here is how I would differentiate between “living only for the moment” from “living in the moment.”
Living only for the moment is another way of speaking of “instant gratification.” And instant gratification doesn’t particularly gratify anyone in the long haul. This kind of “living in the moment” means manipulating other people and reality for my own short-term enjoyment. Such short-term enjoyment obviously feels good “in the moment.” If it did not, who would ever engage in it? However, the enjoyment is very short-lived.
But this form of living “for the moment” has huge long-term costs. It harms other people, and leaves an empty place in my own heart—an empty place that I try to fill by the very short-sighted, immediately gratifying attitudes and actions that created that empty place in the first place.
And voila! An addiction is born and nurtured!
Living in the moment creatively is another matter altogether. Living in the moment in this sense means experiencing the present in an open and caring manner. It means cherishing (or at least enduring) the moments as they unfold. It does not mean ripping present moments out of their larger context of relationships and future plans. Rather, this kind of holy “living in the moment” means enjoying the moments as the good gifts God has given to us.
So, for today, moment by moment, am I going to live only for the moment, or am I going to live in the moment?
And how about you?
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
- “God is in the Details” October 11, 2024“The devil is in the details.” (A general saying, often quoted by lawyers, reporters, and negotiators.) “God is in the details.” (Me, almost certainly not original.) “Luke 12:7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Jesus) God does not micromanage, but God […]
- “Grandma’s Pump” October 8, 2024When I was a little critter, I would stay at my grandma’s house for a night or two sometimes. I liked this for a lot for many reasons. One thing I liked about staying with her was that Grandma’s house was much more technologically advanced than ours was. For one thing, she had indoor water—sort […]
- “Wearing the #14 Wrong-Side-Out” October 5, 2024Pete Rose, #14, is dead. Many of the old guys with whom I play softball watched him play and appreciated him greatly. I do as well. He was one of the greatest players who ever played the game. Yes, he admitted (eventually) to betting on baseball. But many of us still regard him as one […]
- “Passing Along the Love (and a Link)” October 4, 2024Several years ago, a friend of mine put me onto a daily meditation by Richard Rohr and friends. I don’t read them all the time, but I probably should. They are good! I thought that today’s writing was especially good, and I also figured that this would be a good way to post something. I […]
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
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