Regret and Fear are Twin Thieves who Rob us of Today

We have all heard the expression, stop and smell the roses. We all have a tendency to stop appreciating the small lovely things in this life that constantly bless us. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in plans for future events that we fail to be moved by the wonders of Today. We are not promised a tomorrow and we need to focus more on the present hour, the present day God has given to us. Our joy needs to be found in the mere living of today! As Robert Browning said, how good is a man’s life, the mere living! How fit to employ all the heart and the soul and the senses forever in Joy!

The following words are an essay written by Robert Hastings to illustrate this point:

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles- waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

“When we reach the station, that will be it!” We cry. “When I’m 18.” ” When I buy a new Mercedes Benz!” ” When I put the last kid through college.” ” When I have paid off the mortgage!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!”

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24 ” This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lives as we go along. The station will  come soon enough.

Treasure today. It could be our last chance. Don’t let the regrets of the past or fears of the future dictate your level of joy today!!