Tag Archives: JRR Tolkien

The past, the future, and today

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Much of God’s Word talks about learning from the past, living intentionally today, and preparing for the future. Learning from the past involves paying attention to ‘lessons learned’ and changing our behavior to better impact today. Living intentionally today means paying attention to where we are right now, to those around us, and to what God is now doing. Planning for the future leads us to consider our mortal lives and prepare for what awaits us for all eternity.

 

How does this relate to our everyday life?

 

“Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) We can and should let the bible’s lessons guide us in the decisions we make today. Worldly gain is actually loss if it compromises God’s Word. The “Flying Scot” Eric Liddell who refused to run on Sunday demonstrated this discipline. Even Robert Fulghum understood the value of early lessons when he wrote “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” When making decisions today, listen closely to your God-given conscience to make wise decisions. What is true is ALWAYS true, no matter what circumstance prevails, no matter how we feel about it.

 

The past is gone and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Today is the only time you have. Tolkien wrote, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Time is the one resource that cannot be replenished. You can spend it on trivia or invest it wisely but you can never ever get it back. So how should we use our time? It is always the right time to do the right thing. Help someone in need, encourage a friend – or a stranger. Speak words that build up, not tear down. Discipline yourself to do nothing but sit in quiet reflection for a while. Give anonymously when you have no chance of being ‘paid back’. Pray; the prayers of a godly person are powerful. Can you wisely live a day without investing in these?

 

What does it mean to prepare for the future? We are warned against worrying about the future because most of the things we worry about never manifest themselves. Most of those that do are beyond our control to change. Worry is a great waste of time and energy that easily leads us to the sin of not trusting God. But the wise person does make preparations for the future; first for their eternal future and also for the near future. The degree to which you exercise your faith today will determine your ability to call on it in times of trouble. The moral decisions you make today have real impact not only on your life but on others. May those who come behind us find us faithful!

 

How do you walk the tightrope of learning from the past, living intentionally today and still preparing for the future? The bible tells us to make wise ‘investments’. How much of our passions for hobbies are really a tragic waste of time? Isn’t the most valuable legacy the one which will live on . . . forever? Don’t waste your life. Learn from the past, plan for the future, but live today fully.

 

‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.’ – Bill Keane

 

 

May I please have…more?

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In the movie version of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, young Oliver finds himself enslaved in a London workhouse with little to eat. He approaches the workhouse supervisor and says, “Please sir, may I have…more?”

 

Who could fault the nearly starving young boy, new to his oppressive surroundings, and wanting more?

 

Switch scenes to a young country girl who moved to the city to find new adventure: “I’ve always wanted…more.” Her friend twinkled his eyes and responds, “It’s a wonderful feeling . . . more!”

 

We all want more. Adam and Eve had it all. Yet they wanted more. The Israelites were hungry in the desert but when God gave them more food than they could eat, but they wanted more. I remember in the opening to one wage negotiation the question was posed, “What do you want?” The answer was simply stated: “We want MORE.”

 

We want more money, more clothes, more food, more service, more house, more possessions, more friends, more protection, more privacy, more consideration, more respect, more love, and in the end, everyone wants – more time.

 

What do you want more of? It’s okay to say it. God already knows the desires of your heart and mine. In fact, He knows us better than we know ourselves. . . not only WHAT we want but also WHY we want it. He knows if we just had ‘this’ or more of ‘that’ we’d THINK we’d be happy.

 

There is no contentment to be found in wanting more when you have nothing. But there also is no contentment in having our needs met and still wanting more. The thirst for ‘more’ is insatiable.

 

So how do we find the secret of contentment? A friend reminded me recently, it is not so much ‘found’ but ‘learned.’ Paul writes, “I have learned the secret of being content.”

 

Contentment comes from:
Learning to give thanks for what we have: It is a daily practice, repeated over and over until it becomes habit and the habit becomes ingrained in our character.

 

Learning that our treasures and troubles are temporary: We think we have all the time in the world to build and acquire and accomplish. And we think our troubles will weigh on forever. But all we really have is today.

 

Learning to decide what to do with the time we have: The great line from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings sums it well: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world…besides the will of evil.”

 

Those ‘other forces’ are the forces of God’s power and goodness speaking great satisfaction to our hearts. There is one thing, that the more you have of it, the more content you will be. Having more of God and Him having more of you.

 

Go ahead and quench your thirst with more of Him! It begins by shutting down the busyness of your activities and stepping into His presence.