By: Online Editor Hayden Vick
In college, deadlines are everywhere: deadlines for clubs, deadlines for friends, and, God knows, deadlines for classes. In fact, I’ve got a deadline tonight at midnight for a writing assignment I’ve yet to finish, I’ve got several looming deadlines for this Sunday (sweet), and, what do ya know, I’ve missed my usual weekly blog deadline.
Deadlines cause us to live our lives ritualistically. I am always trying to plan ahead; I never do seem to be satisfied with living in the “now.” Shame on me for that. We all need to focus more on living in the moment, rather than planning ahead. College has this way of forcing you to worry about all of the aforementioned deadlines instead of enjoying life as it comes.
Routines are wonderful. I love nothing more than waking up, reading my devotional, and getting ready for the day. However, as one of my buddies pointed out to me earlier today, life is more than routines. It’s more than schedules, deadlines, and plans. Life is all about living in the moment.
I’m not saying to disregard deadlines; to be sure, they’re always going to be present in our lives. What I’m proposing is a new take on life’s schedules. I’m planning to start worrying less about what’s ahead, and more on what is taking place at present. That said, I’m going to begin making blog posts as they come to mind in the moment, rather than one designated time per week.
You’ll get that 10-page paper done on time. You’ll get your rent check mailed before it’s late. And, believe it or not, you’ll make it to your 8 am exams (I did last semester, by the grace of God). So enjoy life as it comes. Take some time every day to tell those who mean the most to you that you love them. Love every moment, because as my father told me when I was little, you only get one. And remember, the big man upstairs has always got your back:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11