Chapter 4: Be Present

The wise, old turtle in the animated movie, Kung Fu Panda, explains the essence of this chapter. “You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present” (Dreamworks, 2008). I have learned that it isn’t useful to dwell on the past with regret because there is nothing we can do to change it anyway. The past still exists only in our minds. So, if we find ourselves continuing to revisit the past, we can learn to re-frame our thoughts in a more useful way that serves us better in the present. It can also be detrimental to look too far into the future, since that has the potential to increase anxiety.

D. Todd Christofferson gives good counsel on this subject. Since we all need to eat each day, he uses the phrase “daily bread" to make his point. “Asking God for our daily bread, rather than our weekly, monthly, or yearly bread, is also a way to focus us on the smaller, more manageable bits of a problem. To deal with something very big, we may need to work at it in small, daily bites. Sometimes all we can handle is one day (or even just part of one day) at a time…. The Spirit can guide us when to look ahead and when we should just deal with this one day, with this one moment.” He continues, “…asking for and receiving daily bread at God's hand plays a vital part in learning to trust God and in enduring life's challenges. We also need a daily portion of divine bread to become [better]” (“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread,” CES Fireside, BYU, 9 January 2011).

In the last chapter, I discussed gradual personal improvement. Elder Christofferson describes it as “a step-by-step process. Incorporating new and wholesome habits into our character or overcoming bad habits or addictions most often means an effort today followed by another tomorrow, and then another, perhaps for many days, even months and years, until victory is achieved. But we can do it because we can appeal to God for our daily bread, for the help we need each day” (“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread,” CES Fireside, BYU, 9 January 2011).

My favorite inspirational singer, Hilary Weeks, wrote a song called “Be Where You Are.” (It is included in her Live All In program for 2019.) The lyrics are very helpful to me and I share them with her permission:

When the world seems to rest on your shoulders

And worry is all you see

You start borrowing pain from the future

That may never come to be

And you wish you could be somewhere else in time

But there’s so much beauty right before your eyes

Chorus:

So be where you are while you’re here

Live every breathtaking, ordinary moment

Embrace here and now and let everything else disappear

Be where you are while you’re here

Tomorrow has endless potential

Yesterday’s memories are sweet

But today is the gift you’ve been given

There are no other guarantees

So live every moment the best that you can

Give the ones that you love all the love you have

Don’t chase peace away when things are okay

Don’t miss the lessons when things get tough

Time’s gonna change things, ready or not

So just for a moment, let this moment be enough

            If you find yourself spending time worrying about all the things that could go wrong in the future, you will miss out on the simple beauty of each moment. That is why mindfulness is such a powerful principle. It grounds us in the present moment, so we can experience it more fully. I recently listened to an audio book titled The Founder of Our Peace: Christ-Centered Patterns for Easing Worry, Stress, and Fear.  Even that title alone is reassuring. In chapter two, the author explains a productive way to deal with worry in three basic steps. “First, identify the specific thing you’re worried about. Second, turn what you’re worried about into a statement of what you would like to have happen. Third, do something to act on what you would like to have happen. Or, if nothing can be done, trust that God will address it and forget about it by laying it at the feet of the Savior” (John Hilton III, 2020). I don't know if it's possible to completely forget an ongoing worry, but I do believe it can be put into a more realistic or hopeful perspective than we sometimes experience it.

            The main reason I appreciate the “daily bread” reference is that it reminds me to focus my attention on the Savior. “...And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Dale G. Renlund counsels us to “remember, joyfully and reverently, that the Savior loves to restore what you cannot restore; He loves to heal wounds you cannot heal; He loves to fix what has been irreparably broken; He compensates for any unfairness inflicted on you; and He loves to permanently mend even shattered hearts” ("Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God," Ensign, May 2020). That is why we can trust Him with our worry (and our regret). Often, those thoughts will bubble up again and that just reminds me to turn them back over to the Savior. Again and again, if necessary. 

                Hilary Weeks co-wrote another song with Cherie Call titled “All In.” (It is also included in her Live All In program for 2019.) Part of those lyrics apply here and I share them with her permission.

…I give thanks for all You do

You’ve got my life right in Your hands

And I feel safe ‘cause you understand completely
Chorus

I’m all in, all in

Nothing’s gonna take me away from where you are

I’m all in, all in

Nothing’s gonna change my heart

I’m all in

…Why would I leave, where would I go

You give me peace I’ve always known completely

Half a heart won’t do

I’m giving everything to You…

            Thomas S. Monson explained, “This is the day of our opportunity, and we must grasp it…. There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today, and to live most fully today, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most.” He then shared this perspective from a woman who stopped “putting off the things most important to her…. ‘Now I spend more time with my family…. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.’” He continued, “Let us … find joy in the journey. The old adage ‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today’ is doubly important when it comes to expressing our love and affection – in word and in deed – to family members and friends…. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important.” He concludes with this wise summary, “Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present” (“In Search of Treasure,” Ensign, May 2003). Another often-quoted phrase by Bill Keane is also similar to the one at the beginning of the chapter. “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” Choose to live in the present and to be present in each moment.  

* I added some content to the end on July 19, 2020.