Being All There

Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. Jim Eliot

Though I have many faults, the one that my wife would probably put at the top of the list is that I’m not always there. I know that sounds kind of existential, but basically, it means that I do not always give myself fully to the present circumstances; often, I am too busy thinking about and planning what is coming next. I miss the joy of the present by not being all there. And the people I love - my friends, my family, and my Savior - do not always get my full attention.

Chemotherapy does not help. In the days following treatment, “chemo brain” sets in and it is even more difficult to focus on being a part of what is going on around me.

Of course, God’s Word has something to say about all this. In James 4:11-16, we read about the foolishness of forgetting God in all the busy-ness of life and our need for total dependence upon the will of God.

God has given me the present to live for Him, and to live it to the fullest. Will I stop setting goals and making plans? Probably not, but I will try to keep them more in perspective. By being all there in every situation, perhaps I will have more opportunities to share Christ with others, to meet more needs, to know Christ more, and to have more joy.

What about you? How well are you doing at living for Christ completely in the present? Does your paperwork take precedence over personal interaction? Is the laundry more important than laughing with your children? Is Fox News a more important part of your morning routine than the Word of God?

Let’s pray for one another and encourage one another to live to the hilt every situation for Christ.