Life Lessons And Bypassing Them

Living in the countdown and by-passing life lessons, I am good at this. I seem to spend my time counting down until the next thing – three weeks until I get through this commitment; four days until I meet this deadline. As soon as I get through with, fill in the blank with umpteen things, then I’ll be better and life will be less stressful. The fact is, life is a countdown and it begins the moment we enter this world. If I don’t stop counting down, I am certain to miss these life lessons. 

For some reason, I have come to believe in the “if-then” lie. You know, the one that says, if I can get through this event, deadline, appointment, etc., then I will be happy, less stressed, in a better headspace, relaxed, at peace, and so on. The truth is, as soon as I get through whatever is on the docket, the queue quickly fills up with the next thing. There is always a next thing. Life lessons are ongoing. There is a series of them, and quite frankly, many of them would not make my list of favorite things.

Contemplating the Countdown

As I spend time contemplating the countdown, I am asking myself some questions: 

• If you can only focus on one thing at a time, why have I chosen to focus on the countdown?
• Have I neglected to observe what the present is offering? 
• And, if I were to wish away these next things, what would I fail to learn?

If the queue of next things is empty, which it appears I want for some reason, how can I grow spiritually? No movement, no activity and no progress is known as a stagnate life.

Stagnant Waters

When I think of the word stagnate, I immediately think of stagnant waters. It does not conjure up images of crystal clear mountain streams, on the contrary, it makes me think of algae covered, mosquito ridden, bacteria filled ponds devoid of life. Stagnation is not what the Lord offers us, He offers Living Waters.

“…if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

John 7:37-38

By living in the countdown and believing the if-then lie, we may inadvertently be choosing the algae covered, stagnant pond over the Living Waters. There cannot be rivers of living waters flowing out of our hearts, if we avoid going to Jesus because we are too busy focusing on the future. I must remember, His mercies begin afresh each morning and His grace is sufficient for me. Why do I fail to believe? 

The Choice is Ours

I realize we have a choice, evidence of our God given free will. We can choose to countdown our lives focusing on getting through the next thing, in the hopes we feel relieved, that is, until the next thing queues up. Or, we can choose to look at each opportunity as a sacred moment, in which to receive the Lord’s grace and mercy.

There are daily life lessons to be had for our spiritual growth, many of which can be lost if our focus is on the countdown. I have a long way to go before turning off the countdown switch, but as the saying goes, “recognizing is half the battle.”