What are you fighting today? Memories of yesterday and possible challenges of tomorrow compete for attention as you face each day. How can you fight just today’s battles without also fighting yesterday and tomorrow?
Note about the image: This picture was taken in South Korea, a mixed array of odd carvings, like the assortment of battles within each day.
My Mysterious Mind
Each day seems like such a battle. Following a moment of mental calmness upon awakening, my mind is quickly besieged. Memories of yesterday’s difficulties and concerns about tomorrow’s struggles crowd into the battlefield belonging to today. Soon I am sighing under a huge barrage of attacks.
As I drink my morning coffee and read through the day’s selection of devotions I try to sort through the clutter. From the problems of yesterday, what should I do today? As I consider the possible troubles awaiting me in the coming tomorrows, what preparations should I complete today? As yesterday pesters me for attention, tomorrow also hounds me. Meanwhile, I try to focus on eating my breakfast and preparing just for today’s combat.
And so it goes every day. Today has its battles, some waiting for me in the shadows, while yesterday and tomorrow threaten to defeat me with their demands. The bruises on my heart from recent, but historic, conflicts, remind me I am entering today somewhat battered. My active mind searches the horizon past today for potential problems on the road ahead. And all too often, the sum total of the war awaiting me in the space called today seems too much. How will I survive today’s battle fighting with yesterday’s wounds and tomorrow’s imagined horrors?
What is this struggle like for you? Is your heart heavy with injuries from yesterday? Is your mind bombarded with possible troubles waiting for you tomorrow? Do you have trouble focusing on today’s assignments because you are distracted by what has been and what might be? How can we find victory over today’s battles when they include fighting yesterday and tomorrow?
Message of Mystery Acres
There is only today in the forest, with every day completely unique. Each day I visit reveals exclusive treasures, waiting to be discovered by a receptive mindset. Setting aside the battles of yesterday, while taking a break from anticipating tomorrow’s battles, the forest invites me to look for what today offers. And, in doing so, the battlefield of today grows pleasantly still. All is well today.
As my mind slows and my heart settles, the abundance of today becomes apparent. Fresh air, wildflower friends, and the sounds of birds envelop my battle-weary spirit. I can feel the past there, but it is at rest. I am aware of the future while in the forest, but it seems to be waiting for me at the end of the lane.
Something happened recently that threatened the peaceful jewels of forest life. A tree fell on our shed. In the blink of an eye, the serenity of the forest was fractured. As we scrambled to find a way to remove the tree and cover the damaged shelter and its contents from rain scheduled to arrive soon, the calmness of Mystery Acres became elusive.
Returning a week later to meet with the insurance adjuster, my husband and I faced the damage. We were both extremely nervous about the meeting and distraught about the work ahead of us to restore our property. As I sat in the motorhome waiting for the adjuster, dogs on my lap, I prayed for peace and wisdom. The adjuster was late, very late. As my mind settled into a place of stillness, I felt the nudge to call the adjuster.
A frantic voice answered my call. He was lost, very lost. Despite my advice to NOT use Google maps to guide him, he was somewhere he needed 4-wheel drive, outside of cell phone service, with the faint sound of banjos in the background (just kidding on that part). Having tried to call me several times, my call to him made it through. I asked him about the location point I had sent him, which he had not received.
A few minutes later, using the location point I sent him, he arrived at our property. His distress somehow pushed away all of mine. He, a native of California, and I, a native Missourian, joked about his adventure. Then he completed his assessment of the damage.
When he was about to wrap up, I invited him to go on a tour to see the marker trees. His girlfriend, who had ridden along with him for the day, came with us. They marveled at the sacred beauty of our property and thanked us exuberantly when they left. What started as a traumatic experience for both of us ended in an extraordinary memory of time together.
The message of Mystery Acres is a cry to claim today’s treasures. Instead of lamenting the loss of half a day and the many days ahead required to fix our property, we claimed something timeless and priceless. The damage of the past and the threat of tomorrow’s stress put the joy of today at risk. But we won today’s battle against yesterday and tomorrow, finding victory today.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice
“My times are in Your hands.” (See Psalms 31:15a)
There are many ways of dividing time. The modern system of seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years is one approach. The creation of clocks and calendars structures time using this method. Our modern techniques to support dividing time use alarm clocks and apps. Written several thousand years ago, the phrase “my times are in Your hands” would not have been using our modern system.
Some translations substitute the word “life” for the word “times,” shifting the phrase to “my life is in Your hands.” A few others shift the phrase towards the future, i.e., “my future is in Your hands.” When I ponder this verse, I prefer to keep the word “times” but to use an ancient way of dividing our lives, one even primitive people would have known.
Our “times” can be divided into three phases, yesterdays, today, and tomorrows. Similarly, “times” can be divided into before, now, and after. Using the first of these systems, the phrase becomes “Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are in Your hands.” The latter could be rewritten as “All that has gone before, all that is, and all that will be in my life is in Your hands.”
Yesterday is in God’s hands. Today is in God’s hands. Tomorrow is in His hands. He holds all my yesterdays, He holds today, and He holds tomorrow, too. All that has happened to me is safe in His keeping and all that will happen after today is safe with Him as well. My past, present, and future are securely held by Him. My times are in His hands.
The words of Ancient Mystery’s Voice emphasize the security of every moment. Notice the phrase is written in the present tense, not the past tense. The God of time, who exists outside of time, holds all our times in His hands. He holds them now. He holds them always. Our times are in His hands. Your times are in His hands.
Living in Mystery
What does it mean to live in the mystery of today’s battles, fighting yesterday and tomorrow? It starts with triage. Arriving into today with battle injuries from yesterday, an assessment of the wounds is an essential first step. As today begins, how much damage from previous battles needs time to heal? A badly battered soldier should not head straight back to the front lines, instead taking some time to mend. Are you ready for today’s battles? If not, find a place of refuge and allow yourself some space to heal.
Healing from yesterday’s battle wounds may require forgiveness. Did someone hurt you? Forgive them. Is someone hurting because of your actions? Seek their forgiveness. Carrying the bitterness of yesterday’s hurts into today will weaken you for what lies in front of you. Let go of yesterday’s baggage. Today’s allotment of difficulty is enough for you; dragging yesterday's unresolved load with you makes today’s battles too much. Leave yesterday where it is: behind you.
Next, beware the temptation to ruminate over tomorrow’s imagined skirmishes. Use today’s energy for today’s assigned battles. Tomorrow and its allotment struggles are out of reach from today. Practice mental discipline to stop wandering into imaginary wars, ones you may or may not actually be required to fight. Instead, fiercely focus on today’s assignments. Some of what you need to do today is to prepare for tomorrow, but you cannot fight tomorrow’s battles until they become today’s.
Ponder the message of the forest where the only time that matters is now, the only day that is real is today. The trees can’t use tomorrow’s sunlight, only the sunshine happening now. Similarly, we can’t breathe tomorrow’s oxygen. Instead, breathe today’s oxygen as you absorb the sun’s warmth today. Release a past you cannot access. Offer only a glance at a tomorrow you cannot yet clearly see. Fighting today, yesterday, and tomorrow is too much. Life is now. Today is enough.
Connecting with Mystery
Dear Lord of All Mystery, lead me away from useless battles, focusing only on what is assigned for me today. Help me forgive the wounds of the past, as I seek the forgiveness of those whom I have wounded. Deliver me from my enemies of discouragement, fear, and despair. Equip me with faith and hope; infuse everything I do or say with love, Your love. Your presence brings light and guidance, hope and peace. All is well in You. Every moment now and every future moment is in You. Be my shield in battle. Be my refuge from battle; fight for me while I take refuge in You. Thank You for holding my times safely in Your hands, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Amen.
Notes from Dr. Mac
If you want to do your own investigation of any of the scriptures I use, I suggest you go to Bible Gateway. This free online version of the Bible allows a search of words or phrases in various translations. I encourage you to read all of Psalm 31.
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