We all can probably admit that we know what we do NOW has an INFLUENCE on what happens LATER…right? One thing we learn as we get older is that there seems to be a relationship to what happens now and to what happens later…

Sometimes it is called a CONSEQUENCE. Other times it is called a REWARD.

I think it is safe to assume that we are very focused on living in the NOW, aren’t we? I can say that because we are not exactly patient to wait for LATER since our attention span is shorter than the average commercial time (which is 15 seconds if you were curious). How can we be thinking about LATER if our thinking mainly consists of having what we want and wanting it NOW?

We are a society becoming all about receiving instant gratification…getting it all NOW.

Am I wrong?

For all those glasses or contact wearing people out there, here are some unfamiliar terms about basic types of vision:

Myopic vision – when you can only see things clearly that is in front of you- known as nearsightedness

Hyperopic vision – when you can see clearly those things far away from you- known as farsightedness

I cannot see very well without my contacts in…heck, sometimes I can barely see with them in because I have a stigmaticzm- let’s face it, I’m also getting older!

I struggle with seeing things far away- therefore I am MYOPIC or nearsighted.

I see things more clearly when they are right in front of my face. I can read a book without my contacts in but I CANNOT watch TV while laying in bed…or see what time it is on the clock that is on the night stand!

When the doctor corrected my vision with lenses…did he make me farsighted instead of nearsighted-where I can now see far away can but no longer see up close??

That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

What did he do for me?

He corrected my vision with the proper balance between seeing both near and far…wanting me to see both equally corrected. Too much correction, either one way or the other, and my vision would still be messed up, right? That would cause its own problems- headaches, dizziness, eye strain!

This -that kind of balanced vision- is lesson of Jesus….to have a good balance of how we live our life:

Not too much in the past and not too much in the future.

James 4:14-15

^{Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while} and then vanishes.

^{Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”}

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

If we focus too much on the future, (where do I go to college, what should I do for a living in 10 years, what vacation should I take when I am 55, how much money can I save so I can retire at 65) you may miss out on what is happening RIGHT NOW.

I remember having a curfew of coming home when the “street lights turned on”. I was literally in my front yard so I don’t know why that curfew idea was such a big deal, but it was …anyhow, my best friend was over and she wanted to do something, anything. All I could think about was those stupid lights coming on and how our fun would be ruined when they did, so why bother doing anything. I think I wasted a lot longer time than I thought I had available to play…because I was thinking only of the END and not what we could be doing in the MEANTIME.

On the other hand, if we focus too much on the present, (don’t ever think about college- let alone what classes in high school will get you ready for it, don’t question future career options and don’t pursue training opportunities or furthering education, don’t save money for a “rainy day” or emergency fund, don’t ever take a vacation because you’re waiting for the perfect vacation) then you end up being completely unprepared when your future is suddenly knocking at your front door!

My son just turned 14 and my dad just turned 70. How can 14 years have gone by since I held my baby in my arms for the first time? I remember my own 14th birthday party like it was yesterday and I feel like we celebrated my dad’s 40th recently too…now, I am the one over 40 with a teenage son and a 70 year old parent!

Where has the time gone???

We need to balance between the NOW and the LATER of life by living with a perspective of both because what we do NOW will impact who we become LATER.

You have a purpose, you have value, your life matters, we need you, this world needs you…we need you both NOW and LATER to make the difference in this life you were created for…my prayer is you come to really understand that.