Learn to live for the moment

 ^7-8 Oh, how sweet the light of day,
   And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
   Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.
   Take delight in each light-filled hour...

(Ecclesiastes 11:7-8)

It is just about time for the sun to creep slowly over the horizon and bring the light of a new day to rest on the Valley of the Sun.  For those of us that live in Arizona, we don't celebrate the sun as much as we celebrate the infrequent breaks from the sun!  A few clouds are a welcome thing once in a while around here - a relief from the scorching of the sun.  I imagine that those facing day after day of tornadoes, cloud cover, and incessant rain that produces flooding would love nothing more than to say, "Here comes the sun!"  It is all about perspective - what we live with for a while becomes something we often take for granted.

This is true about the very fact that we wake each morning and go about our days involved in the routine matters of life.  Most of us don't wake up each morning with a conscious awareness that we have been "granted" another day of life!  Yet, a mother riddled with breast cancer, or a father weighed down by the crippling effects of Lou Gehrig's Disease whose lives are about to be cut short by the effects of their diseases, may see each new day in a totally different manner.  Their delight with one more day to enjoy their family may be foremost - bringing them cause for celebration.

Solomon reminds us that each day of sunshine is a blessing!  Don't take one single day for granted.  How do we develop this kind of awareness that God has given one more day for our use, our enjoyment?  I think it is a conscious decision each and every day until it becomes an unconscious decision each and every day!  We might have to "practice" our recognition of God in our day many times before it becomes "second-nature" to us to immediately recognize his graces in the moments we have been granted.  

I have my clock radio set to the local Christian radio station.  I know this seems like a small thing and a little too "religious" for some of you, but hear me out.  The first thing I hear when I rise is melodies of praise - turning my heart to the worship of the very one who has granted me this day to enjoy.  Now, this isn't the answer for everyone, but it works for me.  I often even get little tidbits of truth spoken to me in the simplicity of a line from a song.  There is no end to what God will use to convey his message of hope, his assurance of peace, or his challenge of obedience in our lives - we need to be open to the tools he uses.

Solomon's main goal in recording these words is that things all too quickly change - if we don't take advantage of the moments we have been given, we will always be looking back bemoaning the lost opportunities!  It is too late to regain what "could have been" once the moment is lost.  If we learn to live for the moment, conscious of God in each moment, we will have less regrets and more cause for praise!