“In a world of constant & instant distractions, how present am I to what is happening right here & how? Am I here at all?”

Reading these words in my Celtic Daily Prayer book the other day, I forced myself to pause, to take stock of the day, and indeed the moment I was in, and to embrace it.  That’s not easy to do at the best of times, and it was especially challenging this week. I had spent the previous week leading at an overseas conference, trying to remain ‘in the moment’ there by serving the people & avoiding distractions from home. On my return there were jobs stacking up, and a week’s worth of emails & conversations to catch up on - all quite overwhelming, especially when was trying to pray!

What did it mean to be ‘present to the moment’ for me this first day back? I realised it would have been my father’s 83rd birthday. He died 18 years ago, just before the birth of my youngest son, and life’s been full and busy since, but this seemed like the right moment to pause & reflect.  I put on music that he loved, looked through old photos, and allowed myself to just sit in the emotions that came up. I wrote a thank you prayer in my journal and also a brief Facebook post to honour his memory.  That, for me felt like embracing the moment. It cost me an extra half an hour - but it was so worth it!

The encouragement to stay present to each day occurs in both the poetry & wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures; “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24). “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.” (Proverbs 27:1). Jesus also teaches this truth in the sermon on the mount, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

As I embrace my mid-fifties, I am learning the hard way that rushing from one thing to the next hardly ever gets me there any faster or achieves any more. In fact, it usually makes things worse & induces stress!  With my mind constantly jumping around I am much less productive, and, moreover, when I am with people, a flutter-brain means I can’t give them my full attention.  I have found it helpful to try and live by the maxim; “Wherever you are, be there!”, and even if it's only for a few moments, I try hard to give my full attention to everyone I am with, including the Lord when I am being quiet.

These words, from Anne Morrow Lindbergh, provide a helpful summary worth reflecting on: “Live from day to day, just from day to day. If you do so, you worry less and live more richly. If you let yourself be absorbed completely, if you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.”

Nigel Hemming,

Senior paster

Winchester Vineyard Church