“O Lord,

Life passes by swiftly. Events that a few years ago kept me totally preoccupied have now become vague memories; conflicts that a few months ago seemed so crucial in my life now seem futile and hardly worth the energy; inner turmoil that robbed me of my sleep only a few weeks ago has now become a strange emotion of the past; books that filled me with amazement a few days ago now do not seem as important; thoughts that kept my mind captive only a few hours ago have now lost their power and have been replaced by others. . . . Why am I continuously trapped in this sense of urgency and emergency? Why do I not see that you are eternal, that your kingdom lasts forever, and that for you a thousand years are like one day? O Lord, let me enter into your presence and there taste the eternal, timeless, everlasting love with which you invite me to let go of my time-bound anxieties, fears, preoccupations, and worries. . . . Lord, teach me your ways and give me the courage to follow them.

Amen” (Henri Nouwen).

As C. S. Lewis once said, all that is not eternal is eternally out of date. So why do I waste so much of my precious time worrying about what will not matter in five months or even five weeks, much less eternity?

Lord, keep my mind stayed on You that Your perfect peace may abide in me. Help me keep my eyes fixed on Jesus instead of all those things that I give so much of my time and energy to instead of You. Amen.