Live in the present, not the future

I came across an article a while back that described a study where researchers looked at success rates in New Year’s resolutions. The results struck me as counterintuitive.

There were two groups: The first group talked about their resolutions broadly with friends and family leading up to the new year, sharing their plans for diets, new workout routines and change of habits. The second group kept their plans for resolutions quiet, approaching the new year in silent resolve. I was certain that the first group would be the most successful in living out their resolutions. I figured that sharing their plans with so many people would create the necessary support and accountability from their community, not to mention a strong desire not to look like a failure to so many people. But in fact, it was the second group who proved to be more successful in following through with their resolutions. Most in the first group never even started theirs. They confused the “unrealities” of their talk for the reality of showing up to the gym at 6:00 am. Satisfied, they merely imagine themselves in their New Year’s resolutions, rather than engage in the kind of hard work and attention that each day would require.

It’s easy to get lost in those “unrealities” of the future. In fact, we tend to value this kind of forward thinking, praising leaders as visionaries when they conjure up such dreams. How often have I found myself on a Sunday afternoon lost in the anticipations of Monday? Completely unaware of the God-given present, ignoring fleeting moments better spent playing make-believe with my kids. Grown-ups play make-believe, too: hoping and worrying about what is to come. Like staring into the Mirror of Erised *, these “unrealities” do not reflect the way things are. They reflect only our deepest desires (or greatest fears).

God wants us to be present, attentive to the here and now. Screwtape described the present as “the point at which time touches eternity.” So, go and do that thing you’ve been meaning to do. Put down your phone and listen undistracted to your partner, friend, or co-worker. Get lost in a game with your kids or grandkids. Go to worship this weekend with your heart wide open. Let yourself be present. Don’t say, “I’ll do it”…Say, “I’m doing it!”

* The Mirror of Erised, from the Harry Potter series. “Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards, as if reflected in a mirror. The mirror shows the deepest, greatest desires of the one looking into it. It is said that “many have wasted away before it.”