Not Wishing Life Away

Wishing our lives away—as happens when we loathe our circumstances, particularly our work, or enduring an illness—is something that comes too naturally for us. In always pushing for something better, when we can’t wait for the next thing, we live less life.

With few exceptions, wishing our lives away is a later-to-regret folly.

By dreaming of something that doesn’t exist—because it’s not in the present—like an idea in the future—we lose touch with the present moment, despite its drudgery, discomfort or pain. Yet, losing touch with the present moment doesn’t reduce the drudgery, discomfort or pain.

When we choose the past or the future in place of the present we rob ourselves of life.

But What About When We Feel Trapped?

Not all our circumstances involve us in joy. If we find ourselves somewhat trapped in our circumstances, instead of loathing each minute we could otherwise dig in and do our tasks as assigned, diligently, in faith that through our application we will provide our own answers. Often we can.

If we can endure the painful moments, the periods of drudgery, and times when we are out of our comfort zones, we may enjoy the better moments even more.

Feeling trapped in life is a horrible reality, as it works over our thinking processes and we’re not too far from getting depressed. A state of learned helplessness ensues—the opposite of feeling empowered.

One way we can feel more empowered is to think and feel more positively regarding the parts of our lives we ordinarily wish away.

Making More of the Best of Life

By far the greatest impact we can have on our joy is maximising it. We might even use some of our drudgery time to plan how we maximise our passions.

When we have honed our focus to the point that it drives us through all of our life it can be a very powerful force. Certainly we won’t be wishing our lives away. We won’t be just bearing the hours and biding our time.

And if we don’t have such a force in our lives as to impel us forward, we ask God for it. Realistically, life is a waste if it’s not lived on purpose. God has placed a purpose in each of our hearts and it’s our job to find it.

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Life’s too short to wish any of it away. Appreciating life lessens the regret for thought later that we have wasted our lives. Finding the bliss in each breathing moment; that’s life.

We can find meaning in every moment, but we need a purpose beyond the drudgery, discomfort and pain—it’s a hope to believe in.

Living every minute, presently, is what this life commends.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.