This is my third consecutive day of flying. The first day was cut short by a mechanical delayed flight that caused me to miss my connecting flight. The second day started with wearing day old clothes and going unshaved. As I crossed the dateline at some point, I realize that by the world’s clock I am in my third day of flying. Candidly, I feel as though I am the poster child of the Psalmist’s lament; “I’m battered senseless by your rage, relentlessly pounded by your waves of anger.” (Psalm 88.7) Everything aches. My head is numb, my knees feel as if they have been thrashed, and my back aches even before I try to move.
Life gently reminds me that it could be a lot worse. I have access to water and food. There is a blanket within my reach. By all accounts, I am safe. Many struggle for even one of these. As bad as I feel, many would gladly trade places with me, reveling in the luxury of refreshment, replenishment, and recovery.
There is a gentle nudge within, asking me what I will do with the moment I have now. Will I remember and embrace the hope that comes with my memories? Am I willing to live as a positive force for good? Am I going forward and giving up?
As I reflect, wrestling with the choices at hand, I find myself coming back to three reminders.
Life is always found in the moment at hand. The past is here for our learning and as a reminder of beauty, hope, and compassion. The future is waiting for us to step in and through the moment
As ugly as the past often is, the past does not define the present. Each moment has obstacles and opportunities, darkness and light. What we do with it is a choice that is ours. Divinity gave us freedom, what we do with it is our responsibility. It is also the one thing in life we are accountable for.
Life lives within the now and the choices we embrace.
