Here is the hardest place to be

Of all the places I go, “here” is the hardest place to be. You know how it is—you’re present physically and mentally, when an unexpected, uninvited bit of news invades the place and interrupts the people you’re with.

With a single notification, we’re physically “here” and emotionally someplace else. You’re pouring your heart out to your bestie, and suddenly you realize she’s staring past you. You’re in the midst of praying, and you can’t help but think about the school shooting in the news. You’re helping at the food pantry, and a text makes you feel like you need to wrap it up and get out of there. In these times of connectedness, “here” is the hardest place to be.

Wrestling with being present in the moment isn’t new. The Desert Fathers and Mothers of early Christianity taught about the importance of being with God and each other in an undistracted way. Distraction isn’t new. Now that technology is so ordinary that we don’t think about it—being present has never been so hard.

We need help drawing our attention from “all the things” back to the moment we inhabit. Even the Psalmist said, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

If you’re like me, you wake up believing “this is the day the Lord has made.” But overnight news or email or a simple text can hijack my gladness and hurl my thoughts and emotions headlong into other places—many places. Then, I’m “with you,” but I’m no longer really “with you.” Children feel it. A spouse feels it. A friend feels it. A family member feels it. A stranger feels it.  What is it about a day God makes that allows us to be “present” with so much happening?

The manna – Exodus 16

God’s provision let’s us relax and be “here.” He provided daily bread for His wandering people, , but they had to trust Him for what would come next. “Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.” (Exodus 16:21)

Faith in His provision kept them from fixating on “what if” tomorrow would bring hunger. Lessons in dependence can’t be hurried, only learned at a slow pace.

With today’s rate of change, slow pace is countercultural. It can even create tension. God’s people can’t live on yesterday’s provision or hoard tomorrow’s supply. They—we—have to trust.

We can receive today’s provision, rather than living anxiously in tomorrow’s uncertainty.

The lilies – Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus drew the attention of people to the ordinary beauty. Instead of preoccupation with the future, nature itself—God’s creation–reminds us that we can trust Him. It allows us to be fully present where we are. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow.” (Matthew 6:34)

Birds and flowers show us how futile it is to worry. Anxiety moves us from being available and attentive “here” to a place of stress about tomorrow. Preoccupation with what may come, instead of resting in the present, can rob us of what’s in front of us.

The examples – Acts 14:8-18

Paul and Barnabas spent time with a lot of different people. They were aware of and impacted by the actions of political leaders and economies and cultures. In one city, they came face to face with people with really different ideas. In the chaos, Paul was nearly killed, but even then, he stayed present.

The next day, he encouraged the people he was with and said, “through many tribulations we must enter the kindgom of God.” He didn’t try to exit the discomfort for a different destination. He fully engaged people he was with. No doubt, holding on to “here” can be hard.

Where are you?

News of trouble will press in on my morning rejoicing and yours. We can count on it. Personal concerns pile on to threaten and consume our attention. Trusting in God’s provision, in His presence, and in His purposes for us frees us to focus on “here.”

Without confidence in God’s care, our minds and hearts have every reason to jump from worry to worry, from place to place, from thing to thing. Being present is the posture of mind and heart when we actively trust God to deal with all the things.

• We don’t just notice what’s happening around us; we see God’s care in ordinary things.
• We’re not only attentive to people; we truly acknowledge people and opportunities God puts before us.
• We don’t just live in “the” moment; we can trust God in every moment.

Here may be our hardest place to be today.

What might we miss of God’s provision, His presence, and His purposes if we drift somewhere else? Let’s not miss it. Let’s be “all here.”