What Do You Think? Wednesday
“I feel like I’m in a time warp,” one of my high school classmates told me during one of our 25th reunion activities. She described her night out with a few other classmates, recalling, “It was just like high school.” Another classmate confessed that she wished she was back in high school or “at least life before children” so she wouldn’t have so much responsibility. Whether or not we are in a time warp—stuck and unable to get ahead or want to go back—stuck and wishing we hadn’t gone ahead, we can all relate to wanting to be in a different place. While I haven’t tried to live my high school years again or longed for them, I understand the desire for something comfortable, something familiar, something fun, something easy. I understand not wanting to grow up, to have to make the hard decisions that we may want to leave to someone else. I found myself here when I knew I had to take care of my mother for what I thought was three months; I found myself here again when she was still with me four months, then five months, then six months. I longed for truly carefree summers, coming and going as I pleased, fixing one family meal and not having to heed other unique demands. Yes, I know about longing for what we see as more pleasant times. When I think about my dwelling on my times of dissatisfaction with the here and now, I know my state comes from being disconnected from the Vine, Jesus:

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bear much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing (John 15:5—AMP).

I couldn’t serve my mother like I would serve Jesus because I was stuck on the past and not on Jesus. I couldn’t respond kindly to her barbs because I was focused on what I didn’t used to have to deal with and not on Jesus. I had the wrong outlook when all I could look at was the past and not on Jesus. When I asked Jesus to teach me what He wanted me to learn from my present serving and stopped dwelling on my past, I longed to love and live in the present in hope of a better me in the future. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose” (Romans 8:28—KJV).

Are you disconnected from the Vine? Have you thought, even for a few moments, a few issues, a project or two, your present life, that you could achieve anything without Jesus? Have you tried to be satisfied focusing on past lives and laurels and not tried to be satisfied being stayed on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3)? You may be longing for a life that is long past, one that you were never meant to reclaim, because you haven’t sought Jesus to show you how to claim this life. You may be dissatisfied because you have been trying to live life away from your Source and Jesus lets us know that when we don’t have that vital union with Him we can do nothing. And that nothing includes being strong enough to overcome any circumstances, including discontentment about your present life (Philippians 4:11-13). Jesus makes your life right.

How do you believe you need to prioritize your life where Jesus helps you excel in the present and you not dwell on the past? Please, tell me what you think.