What are we losing when we wish today away?
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If you could be at any point in your life, what would you pick? Would you jump to the past, before you made an unwise decision or before current trials set in? Or would you skip ahead to when present challenges have finally been resolved?
Would you ever consider staying right where you are?
In the devotional address “Treasure the Day,” Sister Sharon G. Samuelson describes her experience tackling these questions as a newlywed. She found herself caught in a cycle of enduring each day while looking forward to a more enjoyable tomorrow. This cycle continued until suddenly she realized that by constantly longing for the future, she was “wishing a very important part of [her] life away.” Because of her attitude, she says, “I was neglecting my todays for my tomorrows.”
Though the future, or the past, may seem happier than the present, the truth is that life will always be a bundle of joys and sorrows wrapped up together. It may be difficult sometimes to appreciate the opportunities of today, but “gratitude for all that the Lord has given you enables you to appreciate life and treasure each day you have to spend in this earthly existence.” Even the small blessings are still blessings.
Life will bring its trials, but wishing for what could have been—or what might be—costs you the opportunities of today. Instead, “when your days are filled with lessons, activities, friends, the gospel, and a multitude of opportunities to serve and bless the lives of others, you can appreciate and treasure each day.”
To learn how Sister Sharon G. Samuelson changed her outlook on life, read her talk: “Treasure the Day.”
Source: BYU Speeches
—Emma Snow, Mormon Insights
feature image by clemonojeghuo
Find more insights
Read the Mormon Insights article “Living Happy, Living Now” to learn about combating stress by remembering the simple truths in life.
Learn how to find joy despite your circumstances by reading President Thomas S. Monson’s talk “Finding Joy in the Journey.”
Read or listen to Sister Jean B. Bingham’s talk “That Your Joy Might Be Full” to learn how Christ can become your source of happiness.