I am good at missing the moment.

I can sit at the dinner table thinking about tomorrow. I can take a walk replaying yesterday. I can even talk with someone I love while my mind works through issues that have nothing to do with the conversation.

And I suspect I am not alone in that.

Two thousand years ago, on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus spoke to people who had plenty of reasons to worry. They lived under Roman occupation. Most were very poor. They suffered from illness and uncertainty. Their religious leaders demanded obedience to a complicated list of rules.

But Jesus answered those worries with something remarkably simple.

Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34, NASB).

We’ve all read that passage as a lesson about worry. But it is also a lesson in presence.

Jesus pointed to the birds of the sky. He gestured to the lilies of the field. He called attention to the simple things right in front of them. The birds were feeding. The flowers were growing. The Father was caring for His creation.

Jesus, whose power extends from the foundation of the world through to eternity, was firmly rooted in the present moment.

That is a challenging thought in any age, but especially in the technology-preoccupied world we live in. Each day, our focus wanders among yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Yesterday tempts us with things to relive or regret. Tomorrow lures us into fear. Meanwhile, the only moment we are given is right now.

And that is where we can encounter God: right here in this moment.

I don’t mean that we should ignore the past or stop planning for the future. Both have their place. Still, now is where life is happening, and now is where God calls us to live.

On that Galilean hillside, Jesus invited the multitudes to look up and choose today—not to escape yesterday, not to solve tomorrow. Yesterday, we enjoyed His provision. Tomorrow, we look forward to His promise. Today, we enjoy His presence with thankfulness and peace.

Thankfulness. Peace. And this moment.

It’s the only one we have.

This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24, NASB).