(From a sermon given at St. Barbara’s. Some main ideas are borrowed from the much beloved Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, as found in his modern classic, Beginning to Pray.)
People in general – certainly Americans – tend to be very anxious about life. I suspect this has always been the case, but the times we live in seem particularly unique. According to studies, approximately thirty percent of the U.S. population suffers from some form of anxiety. Twenty percent are affected in ways that make it difficult to function normally in everyday situations. [1]
Anxiety levels vary amongst individuals, as well as reasons for the anxiety. Some worries are self-induced: people place themselves willingly in ongoing situations that are morally questionable or carry a high degree of risk. Thus, they live in a constant state of apprehension. And then, there is stress – anxiety – that comes to people from the outside. Nothing to do with their personal choices. Simply wrong place, wrong time. They are left then to struggle with the aftermath.
This morning, however, did we not hear from Christ Himself: “Therefore (brethren), I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, about what you shall eat, drink, or wear…Is not life more than food, and the body more than raiment?” [2]
“Do not be anxious.” Some might respond, “Easier said than done. How is this even possible in light of constant daily concerns?” Difficulty understanding the Lord’s message is frequently related to misguided priorities. Jesus’s words presuppose a level of commitment – eventually – to His way of life. When a person’s primary gaze, however, is directed toward something other than our Lord, then He seems to speak in unrealistic platitudes.
Another problem lies with people’s perception and utilization of time itself. And that is what I want to focus on today, the perception and utilization of time.
It’s probably safe to say that most Christians have not fully learned what it means to live in the present moment. And that is important, because this moment, where we are at right now, is really all that anyone can possess, living it by faith in God.
We know from experience that people tend to agonize continually over mistakes of the past, times and situations that no longer exist. On the flip side, they project personal fears and dreamt up catastrophes into a future that has not yet arrived, one which may never arrive, at least not as we envision it.
Both of these “non-existent time zones” (if you will), the past and the future, nevertheless, influence our lives so greatly that it becomes difficult to conceive of life devoid of anxiety, difficult to focus on that which currently stands before us. We constantly worry about things we did, and then we worry about what will happen if our well-conceived plans do not come to fruition. The present moment, in effect, is wasted. Our minds wander between what was, and the unproven what may be. We then lose sight of what is.
The actual problem then, lies in how we perceive the point at which we find ourselves here and now. Practically speaking, the present moment often seems like a razor thin, imaginary line, connecting the past with the future: almost non-existent. We are not quite sure how to view it. Our perception is that each second, each minute “come and gone,” rolls immediately into the future. People are left wondering, “is the present, even a real thing?” We think about it, but then in the blink of an eye, it instantly disappears. [3]
It is important though, to arrive at some kind of understanding, because God can only work with us where we find ourselves here and now. This moment is all that I have as an opportunity to open my heart to divine grace. I cannot change what has happened, nor can I live my life totally as it might be an hour, a month or ten years from now. The present is all I own and I must fill it with as much meaning as possible, give to it my full concentration. This, in part, is the lesson of the Rich Fool: “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” [4]
Again, easier said than done. Think about individuals, however, on the point of death but then miraculously saved. Many confess that in that final moment their lives “flashed before their eyes.” Amazing. Decades of experiences and relationships suddenly brought into the here and now. That razor thin line of the present, instantly became for them a river, highway, or whatever metaphor one may wish to use. So, what changed? [5]
Nothing on the surface. One second of time, was still one second. One minute, still one minute. The person’s perception, however, of that one minute was like nothing he had ever known. He was offered a small yet powerful glimpse – dare we say – of how God Himself views the nature of time: past, present and future all laid out before Him.
Christians can learn to embrace such brief moments – good and bad – that offer this intense awareness. The experiences are usually few and far between, so to compensate there are useful exercises that can enhance one’s sensitivity.
We can take brief periods out of each day – a few minutes at a stretch – to simply sit: be with God and with ourselves. We do not have to pray formally at such times. We do want to insure, however, a mindfulness of God’s presence, and that our hearts remain still. Don’t look ahead anticipating the football game on television later that night or the next day’s business meeting. Don’t look back, wondering if this morning we should have given our neighbor different advice, or if last week’s car purchase was a smart investment. And do not let the ring of the doorbell or of our cell phones take us “out of the moment.”
If we are faithful to this daily routine, over the course of several months another world gradually opens up. During those short breaks anxiety dissipates as we let “the past be the past” while refusing to allow concerns about the future influence our thoughts. We simply allow the depth of time, the meaning of each second, reveal itself.
It is necessary, as well, to prioritize individuals and situations placed before us, here and now. People sometimes flit or dart through life, like butterflies, bouncing quickly from task to task, one personal encounter to the next, without really taking stock of where they are at, or who they are with. It is important, therefore, to pause periodically during the day, perceive the inherent worth of others, the value of their ideas, approach any job immediately at hand as something worthy of our complete attention for the glory of God. [6]
We admire individuals who are able to make us feel as though we are the only person in the room. Learning the secret of that approach as a sincere gesture of respect – not simply as an act of salesmanship – will help believers to “live in the moment,” give to them a more intense appreciation of time itself.
When our Lord gives directives such as, “Do not be anxious about life,” He knows what He is talking about. He anticipates all objections and justifications. We can expect the full meaning of such words to escape us initially, especially when our daily experience is just the opposite: we worry, we are anxious, we seem addicted to worry. It takes a while to understand and appreciate the blessings of God, including the gift of time, to learn the potential for each moment offered by Creator. May we be open to such lessons.
[1] National Institute of Health; Forbes Health.
[2] Matthew 6:25.
[3] Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray (Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ 1970), p. 83.
[4] Luke 12:13-21.
[5] Bloom, pp. 83-85.
[6] Bloom, pp. 85-89.