Dangerous Thinking...

   As I reread Matthew chapter 6 this morning, I thought of the 9 valentines that yesterday I had stuffed into envelopes to go in the mailbox today. (7 grandchildren and 2 foster grands)

   Here were 9 young lives that needed to be pointed to the path for good living, as Matthew describes it. Like these:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them"

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth"

“So do not worry about tomorrow" (or be anxious)

   What if they could grasp these early in their lives and pattern their days in this way? Two of these kids are in college, and the rest are on the ladder toward that. Their lives are in front of them.

      "Do the best you can with what you have where you are"

   There is that old past, present, future thing, again. If we live the best we can each day, we don't have to keep looking over our shoulder at the past, nor worrying about living with our regrets in the future.

   I got up in the quiet this morning and had an hour before anyone else stirred. Time to think on all these things as I read, but soon things changed, and there were things to do.

   While in the midst of coffee and oatmeal, newspaper and conversation, plans and memories, I found myself being anxious about what I could write that might sum up what was percolating through my brain.

   Then the thought: What I'm doing right now is important and even that is worth doing to the best of my ability. What if I did everything, I mean everything, the best I could, could I look with satisfaction on my efforts, all my efforts?

   So I come back and think, then write it down, and then I wonder...

   Could I live one whole day that way?

   What would it look like to live one whole day the best I could?

   Not yesterday, not tomorrow….Today