Looking Forward: One Step at a Time

Looking forward can be scary. Especially for teenagers. There are ups and downs and turn-arounds and so many missing pieces to the puzzle that just keeps growing. What if we make a decision that negatively affects this year or the next? Or worse…our entire future? What if we take a hasty step or a wrong turn along the way?

It’s complicated enough trying to figure out our own passion and desires; add the ideas or suggestions of family, friends, and other people we love and respect, and it can be exhausting. We’re trying to sort through all the pieces–finding the ones that fit and separating them from the ones that don’t–all while filtering it through God’s calling on our lives.

Talk about chaos.

But there’s a lesson in “tomorrow” that takes all these crazy emotions, ideas, suggestions, and stressors, and whispers one, simple, but meaningful, truth: you aren’t living there yet.

Living in the Moment: The Danger of Always Looking Forward

Nowadays, we often have an extremely hard time living in the moment. We are always looking forward; always looking to the next thing. It’s hard not to. There are so many decisions to make and so many adventures and experiences to be had. How can we live in the moment when tomorrow holds so much opportunity?

Here’s the thing, if we’re always looking forward…always preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow, we’ll never truly appreciate those of today.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you get so excited about an upcoming event that you almost enjoy preparing for it more than you enjoy participating in it? If you haven’t ever experienced that, kudos to you, my friend. But chances are, we’ve all been there at some point or another.

There’s a real danger to constantly living in expectation of the future. It could lead to you walking past doors that were wide open. Or losing close relationships because of your absent-minded presence.

If you’re constantly “living in tomorrow” you will never be satisfied or content. Think of all the beautiful memories you’ll miss out on and lovely experiences you won’t fully value. Don’t spend your life chasing something that you’ll never catch.

How to Live in the Moment 

Living in the moment isn’t as hard as we make it out to be. It just takes time and effort. But once you find the beauties of “today” it will be rather hard to remember why you were previously so intrigued or overwhelmed by the prospect of “tomorrow.”

Below are three simple things that help keep me, personally, on track…

1. Look at every day as an opportunity.

It’s not just a mindset, it’s a general truth. Today is an opportunity for you to remind someone that you care about them. It’s an opportunity to do something kind for your mom or help your dad with a project. An opportunity to share God’s love with your neighbor or teacher or the woman pushing her baby in a stroller on the sidewalk. Every day offers you the choice to submit to Yahweh and let your light shine, even if it’s in small ways.

2. Remember that each new day holds lifelong lessons.

Go ahead and cringe, I know it sounds a bit cheesy. But it’s true. If we would just slow down, we’d realize all the little lessons we’ve been missing. The beauty in a tear, the hope even when fog is rolling over the mountaintops. Our God always has something to teach us…but to learn, we must first be willing to listen.

3. Don’t forget that life is a blessing.

I cannot emphasize this enough. We are so quick to rush things. So hasty in our decisions, goals, and motives. For what? There are babies that die before they leave the womb. Children that take their last breaths in tragic accidents. Men and women are buried every single day. Death is a real thing, my friends. Please don’t waste your life. Take it one step at a time and make the most of every moment, because the clock is ticking ever onward.

Looking Forward in a Healthy Way

Though it’s not healthy to be “living in tomorrow,” it is possible (and wise!), to prepare for it. That concept might seem a bit complicated, but really, it’s quite simple: keep moving forward but only one step at a time.

There are so many doors in life, so many opportunities. When considering the future, we often want to know the exact door we’re going to take. Why? Because we need to know how many steps to take to get there, what direction we should be walking in, and a general idea of how it’s what’s going to happen.

Or do we?

Is that really a need? Or just a want?

I’ve been trying to map out the future ever since I was little and, let me tell you, life doesn’t quite work like that. Yahweh doesn’t give the whole map from day one.

That can be aggravating, can’t it?

But God, how do I know what steps to take?

How do I prepare my heart for the future You have for me?

How do I know which puzzle pieces to keep and which pieces to ignore?

And you know what? It’s okay to be frustrated. It’s okay for it to not make sense. But it’s in those moments that God is asking us to trust.

Just like He doesn’t give us the whole map on day one, He doesn’t make us figure it all out on day one either.

He simply wants our trust.

So, in all honesty, the best way to prepare ourselves for the future…is to give our hearts to Him and let Him lead.

Letting Go

A big part of living in the moment and trusting God with our future is simply learning to let go. I say “simply,” but, if we’re honest, it can be quite a difficult process.

The beautiful reminder in the middle of the chaos is that God already knows where we’ll be five years from now. He knows exactly where He wants us and what He has in store for us. 

If the road looks twisted—like a maze you’ll never find your way through—just close your eyes and take the hand that’s always there to lead you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

Not some of your heart. Not most of your heart. It tells us to trust God with all our hearts. It’s harder than it sounds, but it also comes with beautiful rewards. He has already been down this messy road; He already knows the way through all the mazes of life. It’s in our overwhelmed and weary state that we learn to just let go. Not because it’s easy, not because we don’t want to cling to it even more; but because our God is good and we trust Him. He’ll guide us when the time is right; until then, just take it one step at a time.