"Wherever you are, be all there."
(Jim Elliot)
(Jim Elliot)
I saw this on a friend's Facebook the other day. And it amazed me. It made me stop, and think. And I went back to it. And it's been on my mind since then.
The concept is pretty clear. It's not really all that deep or complex. Jim Elliot is clearly telling us that wherever we happen to be, whether physically or simply as a whole (school, a certain season of life, ect) we are to be there wholly and completely. Not thinking about anything past or present or future. But simply fully enganged in whatever is going on around us in that moment, at that time. Because that is really what we control. And if we are constantly living in a moment that isn't that moment then do we ever really live any moments for real?
It's a simple, easy idea. But like flossing it's something I more than often forget to do. And if I'm being honest, something I'm not always sure is really that important.
That's not to say I'm constantly in another world. I live where I'm at, of course. I engange and do and be there.
However I also spend a lot of time pushing towards something to come, reliving something that came, or thinking about somewhere else I could be. I spend so much of my time trying to get somewhere that I'm not. I spread parts of myself everywhere, so that I'm almost never fully there.
Is this bad? I'm a planner, an overthinker, a to-do-list maker. I have a tendency to focus on one thing, one moment to look forward to and to live for that moment until it's over and I have to find another moment. I think over what happened days, weeks, months, ago over and over and over again until something better to overthink comes along. I overwhelm myself with all that I need to be doing, with all the places I could be right now. It's not all good, but it's kind of who I am.
So this quote, is just really advice, right? I don't always live where I'm at, but I don't miss the important things. So I'm okay.
No. That's wrong. And I'm realizing how wrong it is everyday. Yes. I like to plan. Yes. I probably will always overthink what has already passed. And that's ok. But what Jim Elliot is telling me is that what's most important is that I make every effort to live fully where I'm at, because someday I'll look back and regret it if I don't. That I might think I'm not missing the important things, but who I am to really know when the important things might come?
So veering away from all that for just a moment, I decided to look up exactly where this quote comes from. Cause honestly, I have no idea who Jim Elliot is and I've already mentioned his name several times.
Well, as it turns out he was a missionary in Ecuador and was killed for his faith by Huaorani Indians.
And, there's another part to this quote. Yes, Jim said this, and I'm sure he meant it. But, in my opinion the second sentence says just as much as the first. The whole quote as Jim said it was:
So let's circle back.
This quote has been on my heart all week, because I am not living for here. More often than not I'm preparing for next weekend or next summer or even simply the next homework assignment I need to do or the next class I need to get to. Yet, this is really a crucial time to be living moment to moment because I do not know what will happen next, and in general making friends and paying attention to where I am comes from this idea of being fully there.
And in the end none of us know God's will. Nothing is too little, no moment is too small for God not to use it. He is ever-present, even in the most mundane of situations. God never goes through the motions with us, so who are we to walk through His loving will for us that way? Jesus has given us LIFE. And that life is happening. Right. Now. Our Father is present in every heartbeat and in every breath we breathe. He is in Biology. He is in church. He is in new, awkward friends. He is in NOW. And, as it happens, so are we. Yes God is also in the past and the future, but we are not. We cannot live in these things because we have absolutely zero control over them. If we are living to bring glory to our Savior we must allow Him to use us now, where we're at. Not next week or next month. Not living off that one time we did it a couple days ago. But here and now we are called to be vessels. We are called to be in the world sharing His message. Well, news flash: you're in the world. The world does not happen after high school, or after college, or only on the weekends. The world is all around you. And so is Christ, and so are His plans.
And finally, above all, God is always fully there for us. He does not flake out when something better is coming. He does not think about someone else when you are talking to Him. He walks, hand in hand, with you every. single. step. We stray, but He only follows. We fall, but He only picks us up. We get scared and and try to run, and He only holds us closer. God is not ever half there. He is always fully and completely present to every one of His children.
So if we are His reflection we too ought to be fully and completely present.
Whever we happen to be.
The concept is pretty clear. It's not really all that deep or complex. Jim Elliot is clearly telling us that wherever we happen to be, whether physically or simply as a whole (school, a certain season of life, ect) we are to be there wholly and completely. Not thinking about anything past or present or future. But simply fully enganged in whatever is going on around us in that moment, at that time. Because that is really what we control. And if we are constantly living in a moment that isn't that moment then do we ever really live any moments for real?
It's a simple, easy idea. But like flossing it's something I more than often forget to do. And if I'm being honest, something I'm not always sure is really that important.
That's not to say I'm constantly in another world. I live where I'm at, of course. I engange and do and be there.
However I also spend a lot of time pushing towards something to come, reliving something that came, or thinking about somewhere else I could be. I spend so much of my time trying to get somewhere that I'm not. I spread parts of myself everywhere, so that I'm almost never fully there.
Is this bad? I'm a planner, an overthinker, a to-do-list maker. I have a tendency to focus on one thing, one moment to look forward to and to live for that moment until it's over and I have to find another moment. I think over what happened days, weeks, months, ago over and over and over again until something better to overthink comes along. I overwhelm myself with all that I need to be doing, with all the places I could be right now. It's not all good, but it's kind of who I am.
So this quote, is just really advice, right? I don't always live where I'm at, but I don't miss the important things. So I'm okay.
No. That's wrong. And I'm realizing how wrong it is everyday. Yes. I like to plan. Yes. I probably will always overthink what has already passed. And that's ok. But what Jim Elliot is telling me is that what's most important is that I make every effort to live fully where I'm at, because someday I'll look back and regret it if I don't. That I might think I'm not missing the important things, but who I am to really know when the important things might come?
So veering away from all that for just a moment, I decided to look up exactly where this quote comes from. Cause honestly, I have no idea who Jim Elliot is and I've already mentioned his name several times.
Well, as it turns out he was a missionary in Ecuador and was killed for his faith by Huaorani Indians.
And, there's another part to this quote. Yes, Jim said this, and I'm sure he meant it. But, in my opinion the second sentence says just as much as the first. The whole quote as Jim said it was:
"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."
First thought: what's a hilt? Don't worry. "Live to the hilt" is basically saying "live all the way," just fancier. So what Jim is telling us here is not only that we ought to be fully present, but that we should being living all the way any situation we believe to be the will of God. So it's okay to just go through the motions in the moments we believe are out of God's will, right? Sure. But what is God's will?
Well, if I were to stop and think about it I often think that "God's will" only applies to the big things in life. Jobs and schools and major decisions and hard days. But the fact that I'm stuck in Human Biology, that's not God's will. That's just bad luck. The fact that I ended up in this car on the way to church, or in this group in Rhetoric. Those things aren't big enough to be God's will. Right?
Well. No. The little things have surprised me before. Moments I thought would be just me passing through ended up being more important than I could imagine. Days that started out ordinary ended up being extraordinary. It's the butterfly effect- you never know what big thing might happen because of those small, "unimportant," things.
So if every moment, every day, every plan and place is God's will that means that Jim is telling me here that I ought to be living all the way, fully enganged, wherever I happen to be. Not only because it's a good idea, but because it is God's will and because God put it there for a reason. And who am I to go through the motions, to ignore it, to be somewhere else?
So let's circle back.
This quote has been on my heart all week, because I am not living for here. More often than not I'm preparing for next weekend or next summer or even simply the next homework assignment I need to do or the next class I need to get to. Yet, this is really a crucial time to be living moment to moment because I do not know what will happen next, and in general making friends and paying attention to where I am comes from this idea of being fully there.
And in the end none of us know God's will. Nothing is too little, no moment is too small for God not to use it. He is ever-present, even in the most mundane of situations. God never goes through the motions with us, so who are we to walk through His loving will for us that way? Jesus has given us LIFE. And that life is happening. Right. Now. Our Father is present in every heartbeat and in every breath we breathe. He is in Biology. He is in church. He is in new, awkward friends. He is in NOW. And, as it happens, so are we. Yes God is also in the past and the future, but we are not. We cannot live in these things because we have absolutely zero control over them. If we are living to bring glory to our Savior we must allow Him to use us now, where we're at. Not next week or next month. Not living off that one time we did it a couple days ago. But here and now we are called to be vessels. We are called to be in the world sharing His message. Well, news flash: you're in the world. The world does not happen after high school, or after college, or only on the weekends. The world is all around you. And so is Christ, and so are His plans.
And finally, above all, God is always fully there for us. He does not flake out when something better is coming. He does not think about someone else when you are talking to Him. He walks, hand in hand, with you every. single. step. We stray, but He only follows. We fall, but He only picks us up. We get scared and and try to run, and He only holds us closer. God is not ever half there. He is always fully and completely present to every one of His children.
So if we are His reflection we too ought to be fully and completely present.
Whever we happen to be.
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