Originally published Monday, 01 June 2015.
"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Mother Teresa
{scroll down to download the free printable}
I woke up tired. It had been a tough week on my heart post-Mother's Day. But, I was looking forward to the weekend. But, when Saturday finally came, I didn't feel like doing anything.
This happens so often: a great idea stays in my head, but when space presents itself, I don't actually enjoy the things that inspire my soul.
I think we are a generation of over-thinkers. We often carry a mental checklist of where we are in different categories of our lives. And we become imprisoned by what's next -- or figuring out what could be, should be, or ought to be next.
We are a generation who doesn’t know how to live in the now. We drive ourselves to exhaustion, hyper-analyzing what's next, how to get there and what we can do for Jesus.
We miss out on experiencing what Jesus has for us today.
We often worry about tomorrow. But, what if our next step could only be discovered by experiencing what Jesus has for us today?
Jesus longs for us to live an inspired life. Now. As we are. As is.
Jesus whispers --
"Come to Me, You who are weary laden. And I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28
Jesus longs for us to rest and be with Him. Right where we are on our journey. To share our burdens with Him. The Inspired Now Life comes to us when we let go of our frantic efforts to be someone different in the future -- more loved, more perfect, more accepted, more (fill in the blank) -- and discover how God is inspiring us to live today.
God created us to be inspired by life today. That is why He is the God "I am." Let's free our hearts free to experience God this way. Here are 3 Steps To Live in the Now.
The Inspired NOW Life: 3 Steps
1. Just do the next thing you know -- right now -- even if it leads to what you don't know. Let go of your plans and your timing.
One thing God is inviting me to do is to let go of my plans. To let go of my need to know what's next. God is inviting me to be inspired to follow Him right where I am.
Now.
Now is very powerful. It turns our face away from staring into the future, trying to divine what will happen, in order to avoid hurt and guarantee success.
Now invites us to choose who we will be today. And align our choices to who God created us to be, right where we are.
Now gives Jesus access to the authentic-and-true me.
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." Matt. 4:13, Prov. 27:1,
2. Embrace who you are now. Let your current struggles and passions guide you to make choices to experience God's love for you, rather than do things out of fear of what others would say about you.
Now lifts our hearts away from the guilt of our past. Now values all parts of your story. Now gives God access to shaping your heart today.
Now gives us permission to accept who we are, instead of who we wish we could be. So we can be free to choose what moves us, heals us, brings us closer to God's beauty, peace and love.
"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you" Gal. 5:1.
3. Act on what God places on your heart to experience, even if you don't feel like it. Go as you are. Don't wait until you're better, more whole, more perfect. Go as the Beloved and discover the gifts God longs to refresh your soul with.
"for still there are so many things that i have never seen. in every wood in every spring, there is a different green." J.R.R. Tolkien
"Wood Line" by Andy Goldsworthy, sf presidio
That Saturday morning I woke up, I decided to do something in the now. I wanted to enjoy some spiritual whitespace.
The moment before we decided to go to the woods, I didn't want to. It was cold and gray.
But the minute we stepped out onto the path and the wind whipped around us, rustling through the eucalyptus trees, God's creative beauty refreshed us and I was so thankful we came.
What I'm learning is this: Sometimes soul refreshment comes after we go.
I brought my er-hu chinese violin but it was too windy to play.
But I learned that even though we cannot predict what will happen on our journey, I can choose to head in the direction of what inspires me for this journey.
I can follow God "now", even though I may discover the journey may turn and change.
It didn't turn out the way I expected. I saw beauty and felt the bite of San Francisco fog on my cheek. And I knew my Father God was happy we were together -- now.
Just as He is longingly wrapping you in His arms this very moment -- now.
Beloved.
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A Spiritual Whitespace Love Note For You FREE PRINTABLE
Click here to download Spiritual Whitespace - Come to Me Printable. May this hand-lettered Love Note inspire you to hear God's whispers of love. Special thanks goes to artist Kelly Ishmael for beautifully hand-lettering and photographing this print!
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For more encouragement and words of rest for your soul, read Bonnie’s book Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest, which garnered starred review praise from Publisher’s Weekly.
Bonnie Gray blogs at Faith Barista, serving up shots of faith in the daily grind. She has been named Top 6 Notable New Religion Authors by Publisher's Weekly and writes for DaySpring (in)courage, Revelant Magazine, spotlighted by Christianity Today and Catalyst Leadership. A UCLA graduate, Bonnie served as a missionary, ministry entrepreneur, and Silicon Valley high-tech professional. She lives in California with her husband, Eric, and their two sons.
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