I recently finished reading The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan. In a book full of sage advice, one line was particularly resonant: “I want to learn to pass through a day without passing it by.”

It seems we’re always looking ahead to the next thing. As soon as we finish the work day we can go out with friends. We can’t wait to get married, buy a house, and get a new job.

I spend a lot of my time looking forward instead of savoring the moment. It is good to be future-oriented, to dream, to plan, to think ahead, but we can’t let that get in the way of reveling in the now, of enjoying to the fullest this particular moment, of delighting and finding fulfillment in where God has us for this season in life.

I am married, have a job that I love, and just bought a house. These are all good and wonderful things, but I can tell you that the grass is always greener on the other side. My wife is amazing, yet marriage complicates life. My job, while great, has been busy recently. And my house is spacious and beautiful but sucks up far more time and money than my apartment ever did.

Wherever you are; whatever you’re doing; whomever you do or don’t know, stop and enjoy this moment. Time is a precious gift that can never be recovered. It is our choice to waste it wishing we were somewhere else or to delight in now.