The Ghost of Christmas Present leads Scrooge through scenes from the day. Scrooge soon realizes that his selfish heart has blinded him from seeing the joys and sorrows of those around him every day. Scrooge missed out on many opportunities to share his wealth with the poor and his joy with the glad. Ghosts of the present distract us from the blessings and opportunities right in front of us. "'There are some upon this earth of yours', returned the Spirit, 'who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived.'" - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
WHEN THE PRESENT HAUNTS YOU
While God promises trials and problems, He also promises He will give us enough grace for the day to overcome them. Praise the Lord that, for Him, the present holds no anxiety. The root of worry and anxiety is lack of faith. We want to be in control more than we want to trust God. We want comfort more than God's supernatural peace. We would rather rule our own lives from His throne. Why would we ever want to do that? Don't we know that our lives in far better hands when God takes control? Don't we realize that when we take control, we only deepen today's problem?
Surrendering our present worries to the Lord requires great humility. We must fully submit to God's ways, knowing that He is to be trusted more than ourselves. Only when we fully believe that the Lord will meet our needs can we cast our anxieties upon Him. Only when we trust that He is only good will we be able to lay our worries at His feet. Be still and know that He cares for you and He is God, Sovereign King of the Universe working all things according His Perfect Plan.
HUMILITY DEFEATS PRESENT GHOSTS
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7
Once we humbly submit to the Lord's authority, we free up our mind to focus on what is good, pure, and lovely (Phil 4:8). When we give our requests to the Lord, thanking Him for all of today's blessings, His peace will protect our heart from fear (Phil 4:4). We can be content in any situation the day brings, knowing God's strength will carry us (Phil 4:12-13).
May we spend less energy worrying about temporary circumstances or material things and more energy investing in things that will last beyond this life, like our relationships with others. By doing this, we will lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
Steward the time God has given us each day by living fully in the moment with all gratitude, bringing God the glory with each opportunity. Let's pray along with the psalmist, "Satisfy us each morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all of the day" (Psalm 90:14).
"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." Hebrews 3:13
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