“Nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems. Somewhere in between lies realty.” – Lou Holtz

 

“Does anyone ever realize life while they live it…every, every minute?” – Emily, in Our Town (Thornton Wilder)

 

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” – Paul, in Philippians 4:11-12 (God)

 

We human beings seem rarely to live in the present moment. We look forward to fun, wonderful, exciting times or we dread some horrible situation we believe will transpire. Either way, we live in the “then” rather than the “now.” Or, on the other side of the coin, we bask in the incredible memories of times gone by or we dwell on past versions of ourselves or maybe relive the pain and suffering we once endured.

 

Since our primary struggle seems to resolve around anxiety over the future, let me share one more quote, from Michel de Montaigne: “My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.” A study was conducted wherein subjects were asked to write down their worries over an extended period of time and then identify which of their imagined misfortunes did not actually happen. As it turned out, 85 percent of what subjects worried about never happened, and with the 15 percent that did happen, 79 percent of subjects discovered either they could handle the difficulty better than expected, or the difficulty taught them a lesson worth learning. In other words, the vast majority of our worries reveal little more than a fearful mind punishing us with exaggerations and misperceptions.

 

Okay, I said I would share “one more quote,” but here’s another, so that God has the final word: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).