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PROGRAM D-8469
How can you and I learn to live in the moment—to live worry free? Here’s what I’m learning about living in the moment instead of living for the moment:
Learn to let go of the “small stuff.”
What is the “small stuff”? Here’s a good definition for “small stuff”: Anything that doesn’t matter in 24 hours is definitely “small stuff.”
“Small stuff” can keep you from living in the moment, and cause you to be a worrier and a negative person. It causes you to miss out on the good things which are happening all around you.
As you go through your day and find yourself worried or frustrated, stop and ask yourself if it is “small stuff.” Will it matter in 24 hours? If not, let it go. You are foolish to expend your energy on “small stuff.”
Learn to trust God with the “big stuff.”
I can hear some of you thinking, “Yeah, but my life is full of big problems, not things that will go away in 24 hours. . .or 36. . .or even 48. This is not ‘small stuff.’”
I understand; life is hard at times. So, I guess Jesus didn’t mean the “big stuff” when he told us not to worry. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that we have to worry about “big stuff.” Let go of the small stuff, sure, but go ahead and worry about the big ones—right?
No, wrong! It is even more important for us to let go of the truly difficult things in our lives and not worry about them—for they are the ones that can truly break us. Worrying won’t change one thing, but it will wear you down and keep you defeated.
Not worrying doesn’t mean lack of concern. Rather, it means we don’t try to carry our heavy burden; we exchange it for Jesus’ light one. It is an act of our will, not of our emotions. You and I must choose not to worry. It is not a function of whether or not there is something in our lives to worry about, but whether we choose to worry or not.