Do you worry? Are you always thinking about what the future will be and how do I get there? What does living in the moment really mean?
For me, living in the moment is a 12-Step concept. That doesn’t make living in the moment a 12- Step concept! It just means that I identify the concept of living in the moment with the 12-Step program.
I am 23 years into the 12-Step program world. Living in the moment was one of the very first things I learned about in the 12-Step world. The idea of living in the moment is that we shut off our brains and recognize our current state of being. When we focus on that very moment, present awareness and acceptance of current experience instead of worrying about the past or future.
In more recent weeks I have taken note of my awareness of my ability to practice living in the moment. When it struck me that I was practicing living in the moment, there was no intentionality. I realized I was just doing it. I was just living in the moment. My reaction to my awareness was on the wow scale. It wasn’t necessarily a good feeling either. It felt like I had done something wrong. But I had not. It felt like I had tanked. However, my feelings just had a weird anatomy. I had the feeling of being disturbed, but my actions did not match what I was feeling. So I do what most folks do who have a 12-Step program to rely on. I phoned a friend.
He took my call right away – without an appointment. He told me there was no need to be doubled over in pain. It wasn’t scar tissue. His interpretation of my state of being was glass half full. He told me how he saw growth. He suggested that it wasn’t that it took 23 years for me to surrender to the idea of living in the moment. Rather, he called out my growth in the area of awareness that I was practicing living in the moment like an athlete performing their skills during game time.
Muscle Memory
As my friend continued in our conversation he started talking about the Prodigal Son. He was speaking in terms of him being the Prodigal Son. Quite honestly, I heard that scripture enough this past year, I sort of stopped listening. Sorry Bill – love you brother lol. I heard him, but I didn’t. Instead my mind went towards Paul in 2 Corinthians.
Take Every Thought Captive
Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
10 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7 You are judging by appearances.[a] If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. 14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[b] 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Maybe living in the moment isn’t about trying harder to live in the moment. Maybe it’s about growing to the point where we simply do it.
Twenty-three years ago, I had to learn the idea. Today, I’m beginning to recognize it as muscle memory.
And when my thoughts try to pull me back into the past or push me anxiously into the future, I can take every thought captive and bring it back to Christ.
Because this moment is where I am.
And this moment is where Jesus is.