Now Is All We Have

Now Is All We Have

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

What’s the first thing you want to know when you wake up each morning? Think about it. Every one of us wakes up with the same question on our minds: What time is it? That’s why we check the clock the moment our eyes open.

Knowing the time not only helps you stay on schedule, but the question can really give you pause if you ask it from a more contemplative place, as in what time is it in my life? In other words, the question becomes, What time is it right now for me (regardless of what the clock says)? Is it time to recharge my batteries? time to take care of an errand that is long overdue? time to phone a friend I’ve neglected? In other words, what time is it, really?

Asking that question keeps us fully present—right now. Too often we get dragged down by the past, wallowing in regret, or pulled forward by the future, dreaming of what might be tomorrow. Either habit sways us from living fully in the here and now. When someone says, “I’m just killing time,” that person might as well say, “I’m throwing away my life.” As Alice Bloch said, “We say we waste time, but that is impossible. We waste ourselves.”

In his book Today Matters, our friend John Maxwell says, “It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It’s too late for yesterday. And you can’t depend on tomorrow. That’s why today matters.”^a We’ve seen John live out this principle with Margaret, his wife. John is one of the most conscientious timekeepers we know. He milks every moment, wanting to bring Margaret into his life at every turn. Sure, he plans for the future and he ponders the past, but make no mistake that John doesn’t live for the moment.

You can choose to live in the moment too. Being fully present results from being mindful of what this hour holds. It’s being aware that yesterday ended last night and tomorrow hasn’t arrived. All you can be certain of is now, so decide to use it.

The fact that you are reading these words, focusing on how to use your time together, tells us you are light years ahead of other couples in practicing this principle. But everyone can benefit from a reminder to be fully present in the moment. So, what can you do in your relationship this week to do just that? How can you help each other live fully in your moments together?

Here’s a tip that’s helped us: Return to the simple question, What time is it, really? That’s probably all it will take to snap back into the moment and remember that now is all you have. And that’s enough.

He who neglects the present moment throws away all he has.

—Friedrich von Schiller

^a 101