Stop and smell the roses!!

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Often these days, I find myself wondering about the things in far future rather than focusing on the present. This came to my attention when I came across one of my favourite quotes by Jim Elliot, "Let not our longing slay the appetite for our living". This made me wonder...have I ever lived in the moment?

Since my childhood, I have been trained to focus on the question "What's next?". While I do believe that the people who asked me this question wanted me to focus and strive to be better person, this question became a habit in my life. Finish one thing and move on to the next or 'multitasking' - do both at the same time and think of the third thing parallelly.

Lately, I've realised that this urge to know all and be all.. actually stemmed from the Urge to be in control of my life. I'm not saying that having control on our lives is wrong but when this control takes a superlative degree, it becomes possessiveness over our own lives. In other words, I, being the vessel telling the potter how to make me. Or worse trying to become the image I have in my mind rather than what He wants me to be.

We know that Jesus asked us to consider the lillies, wild flowers and the sparrows. He wanted to make sure that we understand that He is mindful of us.
But this morning, when I was doing my rounds in NICU, I've understood this scripture portion better. Consider a newborn baby, it cries and the mother feeds the baby, it pees and again cries and the mother changes the diaper. The new mother knows what the baby wants and meets the needs of it. The baby just enjoys and sleeps. What a luxury!! I thought to myself.

Soon it struck me, it was God who placed the mother there to take care of the baby. He did that to us too when we were little and never once did He leave us alone. Even before we were formed, He was mindful of us. He beautifully designed every year of our lives. Sure, not every year was perfect, but He allowed it in His divine wisdom and it was good in His sight. When a mother knows very well how to take care of the baby, How much more does our Heavenly father understand our needs.. He knows even before we ask, He sees us, He understands us.

Yet in our finite wisdom we tend to doubt His infinite wisdom and His agape love. We tend to have our own plans and hold on to them so tightly that our head hurts. 

May He grant us grace to be like a newborn baby, trusting Him wholeheartedly and leaning on Him alone.
May He be Gracious to us to control our urge to see the future and grant us mercy to live in the present and cherish His presence richly everyday.
May He enable us to stop and smell the roses and count our blessings everyday!!

‭Matthew 6:31-34 NLT‬
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

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