Here and Now

Last year, I wrote an essay arguing the difference between progress and change. I believed that one had the connotation of permanence, while the other was merely temporary. Change signifies an alteration that is irreversible - no matter how much happens, you can't go back to what once was. As where progress seems temporary: progress allows you to move backwards and forwards in remembrance of what was. Now whether you agree with me on that or not, is not really my purpose in sharing that, but rather in pointing out that I think life is a lot like this argument at times. We move forward, and wish we could go back to what was, failing to realize that we have already progressed forward. And even if that progress has happened, leaving room to return to our old lives, the question must be asked of whether or not we should.

This time last year, I was on my way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The year before that I was ACCIDENTALLY crashing a car into a building. This year I wrote twenty pages in one weekend for the novel that I am working on, while I spent time with friends and family. All of those things are vastly different, but great in their own respects. The lessons those different seasons of life taught me were irreplaceable, and I would be lying if a part of me didn't admit that I wish I could progress backwards, and return to those seemingly simpler times. But that's not my reality, instead I am embracing the present of being here and now. I am purposing in my heart to be present.

Maybe, in the whiplash between quarantine and today, you identify with this feeling. Maybe you want to go back to the thing, person, or place you left behind because it seems better. And maybe, in some reality, it was. But, before you get bogged down in the nostalgia of it all, I want to ask you a question:

If what you left behind was the best it got, then why would the Lord have you here now?

Why would God, the Creator of the Universe, remove you from infinite bliss, if not for a divine purpose? Why would He allow your life to progress, if not to make room for divine change?

The Lord wanted us to find joy, and purpose, and happiness in life - that's why He sent His son to suffer in our place. While obviously within reason because salvation is not a "get out of jail free card", the Bible tells us that we are to:

• Be filled with joy: Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Rejoice in the harvest: Isaiah 9:3 You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

• Have hope: Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

• And celebrate in the Lord's love: Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.

These do not sound like actions of a God who would change our circumstances for no good reason, instead, it sounds like a good father who wants what is best for His children because he sees the bigger plan.

Whether the season you're in right now is one you wish to be fully present in, or one you wish to progress out of, we can find solace in the season because of Luke 6:21 that says, "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh". God has you in this present moment for one of two reasons: to grow you or to ground you. To grow in you a heart that is madly in love and dependent upon Him, or to ground you in this moment of thankfulness and praise.

We are not alone in this constant growing and changing either; God's own Word mimics us through being alive and breathing. It is constantly changing and evolving to fit the Lord's purpose (Hebrew 4:12). So, if we are striving to be more Christ-like, then wouldn't emanating His Word be the first step? Shouldn't our goal be being open to both progress and change? Shouldn't we gladly relinquish the things we leave behind, and walk open handed towards the new life God is giving us?

That is a decision that is up to you...

Life looking different then it did a year ago isn't a bad thing, it's just life. We grow up, and grow out, and grow into ourselves, and what we do with that growth is between us and our trust in the Lord.

God is a god of choice and free will, just as He wants us to choose Him, He wants us to choose to be present. I have an Anne Frank quote sitting in my room that says, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a moment before starting to change the world," and the older I get, the more true it becomes. How truly wonderful it is that we need not wait a single second before revolutionising our lives! If that is in how we view our circumstances, or if that is quite literally our actions that change, I think it is beautiful that our best days aren't behind us, because each day we are given a breath, is a new day to do something amazing. Each time the Lord lets us get out of bed, we should be reminded that we are here for a purpose still- a purpose that is not finished! A purpose that is worthy of passion and pursuit and our presence, wholly and fully.

God wants us to find and have joy no matter our circumstances, because our gladness is not defined by circumstances, and the first step to that is seeking thankfulness in the season we are in (James 1:2-8).

So, I challenge you: be present in the progress. Pray for a heart that is open to change. And pursue a passion for the Lord that celebrates joy, because that is what He wants for you, no matter the stage of life you're in.

In prayers and progress...

-Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."