is

It is time just for today. Not tomorrow or April 12, 2009 or Winter 2010 (Olympics in Vancouver…) It’s today.

I heard a challenging phrase at church which I can’t stop thinking about: “What is mine to do? “

I broke down the phrase, word by word to extrapolate a clearer and detailed understanding of what this question asks. While I have evolving definitions and meanings of each of these words (which I encourage others to do as a prayer exercise), I’m really stuck on is.

Is. A form of to be. A state of being, existing, occurring. A state over which we had no control. We just came to be with or without human planning but utter deliberation by God. He knew we would exist in this time and place.
Is. A form of to be in the PRESENT tense. There are benefits to teaching English to ES(or 6th)L children, one of them being the duty to fully explain the significance of the different tenses since they make about as much sense as the rest of the English language..but I digress. The present tense is deemed for today. Not yesterday or tomorrow or just now. It encompasses today. Now this morning could be considered the past and midnight (though very eminent) remains the future for the time. But both are a part of today so I could just as easily say “I eat breakfast today.” Or “I sleep tonight.” Is just is.
I like this tense of being because it holds open a great window of opportunity to exist as we were meant to while not going beyond the needs of the day. Jesus gave us the prayer “Give us this day our daily bread.” He didn’t ask for enough to make sandwiches for a week’s worth of lunches. Just today. Yet the day is not a marginal, unimportant time period. It has a great deal of value for it prepares the way for tomorrow and answers the questions or problems of yesterday.

So what IS mine to do?
Today I am to love the children in my care. I am to live in peace in community. I am to learn from my reading. I am to care for my body with good food and rest. I am to start on details for future projects. I am to care for a child who got sick yesterday. I am to renew my spirit through prayer and Bible reading.

Some of these things will help me just today. Some are taking care of yesterday’s issues. Inevitably most of them will effect and benefit the future if done well. We are encouraged to cease worrying about the future because, really, today will dictate the future more than what we plan for the upcoming time. Worrying about the future doesn’t benefit the future and takes away from today.
I am sticking with this fresh bread. And if tomorrow's piece is sweeter, all the better.