Past, present, future — where do you live?

What is time? The definition of time in the Merriam Webster dictionary is stated as “the measured or measurable period during which an action, process or condition exists or continues,” or “a non-spatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future.”

When did time begin? As a Christian, I believe that God created time. In the King James version of the bible in Genesis 1:4-5, it says “And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and morning were the first day.”

Time has been recorded and measured in many ways since it began. The Lunar calendar, which is based on the monthly cycles of the moon, is thought to be the first calendar. Later, the Gregorian calendar, which is calculated by the movement of the sun, was created and is widely used throughout the world.

Sunrise to sunrise is measured as a 24-hour period, what is referred to as a day. In a day, time is broken down to hours, minutes and seconds. If you are a clock watcher, especially at work, time can seem to move so slowly versus if you are busy and not watching a clock, time passes quickly.

Yesterday is a 24-hour period that has passed. The events of that day are over and cannot be relived. Whether the happenings of the day were good or bad, they are now memories which will be with us forever.

As each day passes, we have a choice to learn from the bad happenings and move on to the next day or relive the bad moments over and over each day. The good happenings from yesterday can be held in our hearts as good memories to be remembered when times become difficult. Satan loves it when we live in yesterday because he can feed off our anger, shame and guilt thus keeping us away from God and his blessings.

Today is a new 24-hour period as it is happening right now every second. Good or bad memories are being created in this moment and can change from minute to minute. If things or situations are going badly, we could decide to change our thinking and attitude immediately. In Psalm 46:1 (King James Bible) it says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Staying in today, “the present,” we can receive God’s help, strength and blessings.

Tomorrow is the next 24 hours, week, month or year. The happenings or situations which occur in this future are unknown to us. This uncertainty of not knowing what will happen can cause stress, anxiety and fear. Having expectations for something in the future can lead to depression when those expectations are not fulfilled in the way you wanted them to happen.

My serenity is directly proportional to my expectations. The lower my expectations, the higher my serenity becomes. Satan also loves it when we continue to think of the future because he can use our fear of the unknown against us, creating havoc in our lives.

For me, I choose to stay in today and in God’s moment. In God’s moment, I can pray for strength, his guidance and his blessings to be given to me. I can have serenity and feel safe when I stay in today and not cry or complain about yesterday, or anticipate the future with expectations on the outcome.

You can dream and hope for tomorrow and think about the past to learn from it, but try to stay in today. Remember you can change the right now but not yesterday or tomorrow. Yesterday, today and tomorrow — which one do you remain living in? May today bring you peace and serenity and all of God’s blessings — if so, stay there.

Bless you.

Kathryn Hennes is a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and lifelong Wisconsinite. Her passion for writing started in high school. She writes inspiring and motivational stories on her many life experiences.