I have a photograph of my daddy – I have it sitting on my office desk – it’s a photo of when he was about 35 or 36 years old. My father looks so young, so handsome… and I keep it within eyesight because I want to, well… retrain my memory. Because my dad was 90 years old when he died and I would like to think that when I see him in heaven, he’s not going to look 90 years old; no, he’s going to look very much like this photo on my desk – so young and strong and handsome.
I do miss my dad. He was a pretty wise man, he was. I can still see his eyes looking into mine – so crystal-clear blue. I can hear his voice saying, “Don’t grasp for the future, Joni. Pay attention to the present.” That’s the way Daddy lived; that’s the way he worked. Whenever Dad would build stone walls on the farm, he wouldn’t rush. He would pick up a rock, brush off the dirt, turn it over in his hands, and line it up this way and that, try to place it just right. Daddy paid attention to what he was doing at the moment. His whole focus was fitting each stone. As a result, forty years later, those walls haven’t crumbled. Daddy’s labors have endured.
My stone-laying father would say that it is the only way to live. Because we often make the mistake of thinking God is always preparing us for “future ministry.” We rush through the present moment to quickly reach the next one. As a result, we don’t pay sufficient attention to the immediate. Oswald Chambers said, “Grace is for ‘right now.’ It is not the process toward some future goal, but an end in and of itself. If we would only realize this, then each moment would become rich with meaning and purpose.”
That may be the perspective of Oswald Chambers, but it’s also my dad’s perspective. Actually, the Bible’s too because the Bible says, “…As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” God doesn’t give me grace for days ahead, or uncertain seasons that He might grant me on earth before He takes me home. No, He doesn’t give me grace for next year’s headaches — or even next month’s heartaches. He will not even loan me enough grace to face the prospects of tomorrow! God only gives me grace for today. He expects me to live this day, right now, in His strength, leaning on His wisdom and drawing on His power.
So friend, do not grasp at the future. Look to today. Redeem the time now. Make the most of the opportunity this instant. Don’t rush through the present moment too quickly, don’t be grasping for the next one already. For although God may be preparing you for a future ministry, there’s nothing more important than His purpose right now. Remember, as your days, so shall your strength be. That’s pretty good advice my stone-laying dad used to share as he would build his rock walls on the farm.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends