Why the present is the best present
The present is hope for the future, just being here today is a tremendous gift. Someone out there died before they felt it was their time and if it were possible they might hasten to take on your life with all its difficulties just to be here today.
My gran used to say if you hung out your problems on the washing line you might return a second later and find that yours was taken because no matter how bad things are for you they could always be worse. I figured it was typical adult talk but it rings quite true. Things really could be worse and worrying about impending doom only draws it painfully closer.
When I was little I used to project myself to a future where I would be happy. I thought happiness would come with age and the freedom to finally be myself. Life swiftly showed me that it doesn’t work that way, you can’t get to that happy future without being firmly grounded in the present and navigating what’s wrong in the first place.
No matter how scary or uncomfortable it is you have to show up every day and bring what you have to the table whether your offering shows up big or small that day. No contribution is too small especially when you don’t know what tomorrow holds. That last meal you have can open amazing doors for you just because you chose to share it with a stranger.
I’ve had a rough couple of months and though I’ve tried to keep my head up depression has been lurking just around the corner like a bully after school. Last night I was fighting back tears when a message came to me “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes?” [Matthew 6:25 NIV].
For a moment I asked God what the point of my life really was and another message came to me “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” [Psalm 30:5 KJV]. I grumbled to myself that I wasn’t in the mood for spiritual clichés thank you! and fell into a sad sleep. Years of talking to God has shown me that He can take it when I’m grumpy and discouraged.
That’s not to say we should grumble and be awful all the time but God understands when we can’t help it and always a better frame of mind finds you either in conversation or something you hear or even something that happens.
Sure enough when I woke up today I didn’t have tears in my eyes but I struggled to get out of bed because I didn’t really believe there was gift in today but I stumbled out of there anyway with limited enthusiasm and somehow got the strength to type this message.
I watched this sermon by Pastor Carl Lentz a while ago. It’s called “Psalm 23 whether you like it or not”. I wasn’t particularly down at the time I watched it but because I did it was able to pop back in my mind and offer me some encouragement. Sidenote It’s so important to stock up on encouragement especially in times like these. You have to be deliberate about it because there’s an enemy whose sole mission is to kill steal and destroy.
“Usawore moyo ka, Neria, Mwari anewe” – Oliver Mtukudzi
We lost Oliver Mtukudzi last week and it was a great loss to the nation. Zimbabwean music will never be the same again but his legacy will forever live on through our collections of his music. I saw people who never wear doeks participating in the #dhuku for Tuku and I was awed at how much of an impact he made.
When I look at my journey I’m reminded that Tuku’s music was his gift and he never gave up on it even when no one appreciated it. Lately I’ve faced some serious resistance about my designing. It’s been frowned upon and labelled the reason why I “will never amount to anything” and I’m sure being an artist in an environment where “magitare” were generally frowned upon back then he may have been told a similar version of the same sentiments but look at where his faith got him.
I can’t speak for his spirituality but his determination was faith that one day his message would impact lives. Waking up to this difficult economy but still going about our daily labour in preparation for things to get better is faith.
Sometimes our faith is misplaced but God never allows us to go on the wrong road without a rescue plan. We have to endure the journey to get to the Promised Land. In His wisdom God has structured it so that all things including the storm come together for our good because we love and trust in Him.
My prayer today is for strengthened heart to see the gift in every day so that we don’t waste our lives on things we cannot change. Amen
