"Be Here Now"

Won't you be glad when COVID-19 is over?  I'll bet you have plenty of ideas for the things you want to do when this pandemic is done.  Personally, I have some travel plans that are on hold until we get through this mess.  I can't wait to go back to Virginia and visit family and friends--but those plans may very well be delayed.  That doesn't stop me from thinking about the good times I'll have when life is back to normal, though.  I want to go hiking and camping and kayaking.  I want to go to church and be with people I care about.  Yep--that'll be the day!

In Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), God speaks these words through the prophet, to people who are desperate for better days:  

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Many people have adopted this as their "life verse," a sort of guiding principle for their lives.  This is a great verse, and definitely worthy of being treated as such.  It reminds us that no matter how bad things get, or how discouraged we may become, God has a good future planned for us.

But let's read that verse in context of God's other word for struggling people.  In verses 4-7 (NIV), God says:

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:  “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 

These words remind us not to focus so much on the future that we forget the present.  In the poignant words of Ram Dass, we are reminded to "be here now."  These three simple words encapsulate what God was telling the people of Israel.  They may long for the future, and God may promise a brighter day--but God's people are meant to "be here now."  

So, if you're feeling anxious about the present, remember that the future will be brighter.  But today, settle down.  Invest yourself in those around you.  Find something constructive to do. Seek other people's prospertity--be helpful to others.  Remember to pray for your enemies and your neighbors alike.  Practice mindfulness--be present in the present moment.  While you have faith that tomorrow will be a brighter day, don't forget to "be here now."