LIVING IN THE MOMENT

FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Matthew 6:34 tells us:

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow:  for the morrow

shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto

the day is the evil thereof.” (KJV)

This passage is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount --- in which He shared many lessons and guidelines He wanted us to follow.  It sounds complicated, when we read it in the King James Version.  That makes it hard to understand fully, let alone obey what it’s telling us.

Because of that, my simple mind has devised a translation that I can remember:  “LIVE the moment you’re in.  BE where you are!”

Unfortunately, understanding what this passage is telling me does not always guarantee that I will obey what it’s saying.  No matter how I remind myself to stay in the moment, there are still days when I wander.

Wondering about something that may --- or may not --- happen on some future day.  Revisiting and reanalyzing some regretted word or action from a day that is forever in my past.  I know this isn’t what God wants for me, and I know I’m not alone in my struggle.  We’ve all done it . . .

“Will Bobby pass that test?  Will Suzi make the cheerleading squad?  Will Fred remember my birthday?  Why did I tell Ellen about THAT?  Why didn’t I get that item while it was on sale?”  We all ask questions like this every single day.

Watching a movie recently, the phrase “not yet” triggered a long-ago memory . . .

During the 1970s, I lived in Northern New England for a few years.  A popular joke among the locals goes like this:

Visiting with a person he’s never met before, a man asks, “So, have you lived here your whole life?”

The respondent pauses a moment.  Then, his face transforms into a joyful grin.  “Not yet!” he says mischievously.

In the moment that memory was triggered, I realized something I had never thought of before about that joke.  In that brief, comical answer, the person speaking has anchored himself firmly in the here and now.  His life is not yet over, so he has not yet lived here for all of his life.

He’s not looking back at all the years that came before.  Not examining what has already been.  He is not worrying if this --- this day, this moment --- is “all my life will ever be?”  He delightfully embraces the truth:  “in this moment, THIS is where I live!”

Each day lately, I feel as though I’m learning a little bit more about what it means to live my life for God.  As I continue my efforts to obey His will for my life, my hope --- my prayer --- is this:  May I always remember that mischievous New England response . . . and fully embrace THIS DAY.

To His Glory . . . BJ