Monday Morning Manna: Enjoying Joy in the Present

On a recent day, the sun was shining and the weather was warm. It was a beautiful day, perfect for being outside and enjoying nature. However, all the weather reports focused on the upcoming storms, predicted to hit during the night. No reports of the beautiful weather, just the warnings of pending doom. Life gets that way some times. We miss the joy of the present by focusing on the possibility of a troubling future. Morris West, an Australian novelist whose books were published in 27 languages, and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, wrote, “If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.” Jesus spoke of the future when He said, “what you will eat” and, “what you will put on” and then spoke of the present, “do not worry about your life” (Luke 12:22). While it is true that “joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5), it is also true that you can enjoy joy in the present, whatever happens between now and morning.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.