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A while back my family and I relocated into a different time zone.  We moved from the CST time zone (Central Standard Time) to the PST time zone (Pacific Standard Time).   “What’s the big deal?” you ask.  Well, just a two-hour time difference.  Two hours may seem like a small change, but it created huge upheaval for me.

All of my life rhythms got knocked off balance.  I felt as awkward as a dog in the back seat on a car ride.  My fitness routines were disrupted.  My spiritual disciplines became disheveled.  Every routine in my life got knocked into a state of disequilibrium.  I really could’ve used a time zone converter to help me adjust to living in my time zone.

There are times in life when all of us find it hard to live in our current time zone–not geographically, but existentially.  Past mistakes (or successes) as well as future worries (or expectations) can keep us from peace in the present.  Here are some lessons I learned about living in my current time zone.

1.  Get past the past ~ The biggest obstacle to present-tense-peace was my own desire for things to be the way they were.  I loved the consistency of routines that helped me grow physically, spiritually, and relationally.  However, those days were gone and they weren’t coming back.  Moving to a different place meant moving on to new rhythms.

2.  Build the future today ~ Everyday I preached to myself, “The road to tomorrow runs through today!”  Like a song that makes the day go faster, I kept reminding myself that I was creating tomorrow’s life-rhythms today.  Every awkward action became another stepping stone carrying my feet into the future.

3.  Live in the present ~ Living in the present moment is much harder than it sounds.  Distractions, frustrations, dead lines, and obligations confronted me like a bullies in the lunch line with their hands out.  Present-tense-peace is something I had to fight for; over and over, and moment by moment.

I’ve discovered that God is in-tense.  He is fully present “in” the present “tense.”  And if God is in-tense, I needed to learn how to live in-tense too.  In-tense living has been all about the moment-by-moment realization that I can only experience God’s Presence in my present tense.

I’m really learning how to live in my time zone.  Everyday I fight to be in-tense with God, my wife, my kids, and whoever God puts in front of me.

After all, the past is past.  The future flows through the present.  And I can only experience God in this present moment.  Just like God, I want to live in-tense!

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