Today

I have a friend who chooses a word for the year, sort of as a New Year's Resolution of sorts.  Then throughout the year that word is your motivation, your drive, your inspiration for change in all areas of your life.  Word like "Driven" and "Believe" seem so inspiring to me.  Yet I can't seem to come up with a word for me.  (I'm really not one for resolutions.) 

Until now.  (Who didn't see that coming?)  My word is Today.  With where I find myself in life right now, a constant struggle for me is living where I am, in the present.  By nature I'm a planner, a list maker, a preparer.  I'm preparing for the futures I hope I get to live in one day.  I'm preparing for situations that are unknown.  I'm preparing to leave the life I know for Italy to tell people about Jesus.  Future, future, future.  By the way, I find it incredibly difficult to 'not know' things.  Like - how much our income will be in July.  Or where we'll live in a year.  Things like that - I don't like not knowing.  Well, I pretty much like knowing everything, so I very much dislike any sort of unknown.  Smile.

My goal for 2011 is just to live for today, as much as I can while still working towards our goal of ministering in Italy.  To a certain extent I have to focus on Italy to raise support for our ministry and share our story with our future partners.  But, as much as I can, I want to live for now and take advantage of the days we have here with our friends and family.  Today is important.  Today is all that we have.  (Except that there are people dying everyday...but that's not the point of this.)  That's my goal - living today. 

My stumbling block is that I have to incorporate getting to Italy into my today, without focusing only on Italy.  I have to incorporate preparing for the future into my today, without living in the future.  Who knows - it may never come.

Thankful for today.  Focusing on today.  Remembering everyday, that today is the day.