So this chapter doesn't really lift your spirits either. Yet the more I read, the more I realize how much the Teacher is telling us to live in the present. Verse 9 says, "You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your hearts give you joy in the days of your youth."
One thing I have noticed in my life is that I live a lot of it in the past or fretting about the future. It is rare that I truly live in the present with God. I worry about what will happen (usually without remembering that God will be present there). I dwell on what has happened - again forgetting God's presence. How many of us truly live in the present?
What would living in the present look like? It would only be of value if I submit myself to God and simply live through and in Him. I want to see with God's eyes. I want to act out of submission to His will. I want to live in the now without worrying about what is to come because I completely trust Him and Him in me.
I guess the best word I can think of to describe living in the now is contentment. Being satisfied with what is. I know that I am not living this, but I hope to get there soon.
Things I will do to live in the present:
Visualize Christ with me in the now.
See the beauty of each moment.
Trust God's will in each event.
Seek the moving of the Spirit in all things.
Try to see with my inner eyes as much as my physical eyes.
I know this sounds a bit mystical and possibly even silly, but it is what I thought of as I read this passage.
Living in the Now,
Jason
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