I got a phone call last week from a friend who wanted to talk. Not meet for a visit, but talk. There was a tone of seriousness in her voice.
I hadn’t seen her for a long time. Why would she be calling me now, out of the clear blue? She didn’t want to talk over the phone, she wanted to meet me face to face. She didn’t tell me what she wanted and I was afraid to ask.
Immediately my mind went to all of our past encounters. Had I offended her somehow? Was that why we hadn’t talked for so long? Was she mad at me? Had I been completely blind to something? What had I done?
Was she going to deliver some really bad news to me? Or was she going to tell me about some grand scheme of hers? Was she wanting me to do something with her? Did she want me to bail her out of some bind? Had she come to some kind of monumental decision?
How was I going to respond? What if I got mad? What if I couldn’t help her or support her?
What if I cried?
My mind wanted to stay in the past. Asking questions. It wanted to jump to the future. Asking questions. But both were unattainable to me.
The time came. I arrived at our favorite coffee shop ten minutes early. I looked around and scoped out the room for the perfect table. The one in the back right corner. I made sure my back was to the room so if I cried no one would notice. I had no idea what to expect. I couldn’t prepare. So I waited.
While I waited I noticed how nervous I was. Thankfully, I was able to have a little talk with myself before my friend arrived.
“Self, you can’t change anything in the past,” I said matter-of-factly.
“There is no way you can predict what is to come,” I said, almost scolding myself.
I knew better.
“All you have is right now. All you have is this present moment. And you don’t know what it holds. Look at your feet.”
In the past few years I have developed an exercise for bringing me back into the present moment.
I am trying to remember that the present moment is the only place where I can encounter the living God.
I want him to lead me.
I want to hear from him and talk with him.
I want to walk with him, moment by moment, day by day.
I want to be found faithful as I make my journey through life.
I can’t do that yesterday, and tomorrow is no guarantee.
Connecting with him is only possible right here, right now.
As I sat in that coffee shop I realized that I needed to meet him right then. I needed him to help me. So I began by looking at my feet.
Here is what I said to myself:
1. “Look at your feet.”
Notice exactly where I am at this exact moment.
Look around.
Where am I?
Whom am I with?
Who am I talking to?
What am I doing?
2. Say, “I am here.”
Not somewhere else. I am right here, at this moment. This is the only place that matters. This person is the only one that matters. This situation is the only one that matters. Right now is all that matters.
This present moment is the only one which can be affected.
The past is gone. Done. The future is not yet here.
I only have this moment and this place to make a difference.
3. Say, “God is with me.”
He is.
It’s true.
He is everywhere present and filling all things.
He will never leave me. He is right here. He is with me.
Meditate on that for a minute. Accept it.
4. Ask, “What now, Lord?”
What is God asking from me right now?
Be still. Listen.
Really listen.
Shhhh.
Listen.
6. Now act. Obey. Do it.
By the time my friend joined me at the table, I was able to be fully present to her.
I wasn’t worried or afraid.
I just abandoned myself to our time together, all the while continuing to be alert, to listen and respond to what I believed the Lord was saying to me.
We had a difficult but delightful time together. Our friendship was beautifully deepened.
I won’t share with you the substance of our conversation because it doesn’t really matter. It’s in the past.
What matters is right now.
Question: Where are you right now? Look at your feet.
Great job, Gail and right on target, as always. Being present is the best “present” you can give someone. Love you, friend.
you rock my friend.
This is fantastic. Best of all, you walk your talk. I have witnessed it first-hand for 32 years. You are a great example to me! I love you.
Thank you.
By the way, I just enabled threaded comments on your blog.
You two are cute! By the way, I loved this post.
1. Look at your feet.
2. Say, “I am here.”
3. Say, “God is with me.”
The daily anxieties we face in the flesh can be overcome in the peace and quiet of the Saviour.
Thank you, Gail. I was pleased to discover your blog today.
This may be my favorite post I’ve ever written. I try to live this way every day, though I fail many times. But it makes ALL the difference in the world when I do.
Thanks so much for visiting and for commenting.
Blessings.
wow. great words. i’m certainly not your kid, but thanks for passing it on!
I am going to print this out and put it in my purse.
I struggle with worry – and it robs me of my time with people and with God.
Thank you.
Gail, that was wonderful. We easily have meetings like this with people we care about and have our minds on everything from the past to the future and do not really take the time to give 100% of our attention to the person that cared enough to request our presence. Thank you for this! Michael is a lucky man.
Wow. Thank you, Tina. Pretty soon, all you’ll have to say is, “Look at your feet.”
This is an awesome post full of wisdom. Thanks for sharing.
Thank-you for sharing this..great reminder!
So true, Richard. And sometimes, being fully in the present may not even involve other people. It might involve some job I have to do, something I need to take care of, a walk I need to take, a book I should read, a nap that is long overdue, prayers that need to be said, a song to soak in, a flower to admire, a sunset to contemplate.
Wonderful post! I have a dear friend who takes a photo of her feet at every travel destination–on the beach with palm trees in the background, in my living room with my feet and my dog’s paws, on the city streets of NYC. I’ll never look at her photos (or my own feet) in quite the same way again. Thanks, Gail, for your wisdom.
With love,
Tara
Tara, I love your friend’s idea of taking pics of her feet. Our feet bear the whole weight of our bodies. That’s how important our feet are!
Coach Theresa
Tara, I LOVE that idea!!!
Wow…I needed this today. Thank you, Gail!
I love the wisdom of this post and plan to put it into practice. I am not much of a worrier, but I am a daydreamer and that too is a impediment to living in the present.
And by the way, I blogged recently about feet too. I’d be honored if you’d check it out: http://kristiejackson.blogspot.com/2009/12/biblically-beautiful-feet.html
OOooo. Great point, Kristie!
That is a GREAT way to bring ourselves to the present! I love that analogy! Keeps us focused on the real thing…Jesus and want he wants us to do. Thanks for sharing that!
How timely for me. I keep trying to fix the future because of mistakes in the past. And this robs me of the beauty of the moment that God has placed in front of me. Thanks!
AWESOME post, Gail.
But I’m left desperate to know what she wanted to talk about… was it good, bad, a total surprise? Did it make you cry?
I guess it’s going to be one of life’s great unanswered questions.
Gail, once again….I love it! I had to grin though because I read some wise philosopher’s (or philosophette’s (?)) blog lately and I want to share with you what she said. I think it matches very well with what you have just taught us…”wait to worry”. Isn’t that wonderful :0)
Blessings. Keep blessing us with God’s practicle wisdom through you!
Gail, this is beatiful! Personally this is one of the lessons God’s been teaching me the last few tears as well. So often we miss the moment by thinking or worrying about other nonsensical things. Blessings…
My feet were at work.. I was feeling a little overwhelmed..So I decided to take a stroll (metaphorically)over to Facebook to see what I could see.. Guess what I found?
A pearl of wisdom! Thanks Gail!
Now it’s time for me (with a smile on my face) to stroll back over to my work.. knowing I am here for a specific purpose. I will endeavor to keep my mind in the same place as my feet today… and I will remember “God is with me.”
I think you are on a roll… I like that this blog is the next step, building on Wait to Worry.
Look forward to the next installment!
I’m testing this out. My husband just enabled me to reply to comments. This will be great. Thanks for your encouragement, Joan.
I hope someday you can put all these in a book that I can give my wife!
Thanks, Brian.
Mrs. Hyatt, I have heard you use this saying on many occasions in the past, and so I decided to take it on as my own little saying when I am particularly stressed to the max or overcome with anxiety. I am one to quickly forget that I can call on God for help; He just isn’t the first thing or person that comes to my mind when I’m overwhelmed with emotion yet. Last semester, I was incredibly fearful about whether or not I would pass one of my classes at school. Those that were around me knew that this fear paralyzed my life for a number of weeks; I isolated, I was grumpy, I even convinced myself and others that I was going to fail. I arrived at the final exam with 1/2 of a point below what I needed to pass the entire course. Not passing the course would add one year to my education, and lots more in student loans. During the practical (hands-on) portion of the final, I had to walk around the room, observing different bones and labeling their parts. I had 30 seconds at each station, and before I began labeling at each station, I took 2-3 seconds looked at my feet and said “I am here, and God is with me.” Amazingly enough, after a few times, my nerves were calmed and I was able to focus. Though my hands were still shaking, and I repeated that mantra over and over until I was blue in the face, it truly helped and I PASSED
I knew that if I said something enough, and believed it even an ounce, I wouldn’t be alone in facing that monster of an exam.
So… thank you! It has certainly played a part in helping me turn to God as my coping mechanism rather than remaining wrought with fear or turning to other substances for comfort.
Emily,
All I can say is, “Thanks be to God.” I admire you so much. Going back to school like you have amazes me. And you’re puttingyour heart and soul into it. I’m so glad that you’ve been able to use these sayings to help you in the tough times. I think being school particularly causes us to have regrets and fear the worst. So much is at stake. You’re making a huge investment, not only financially, but also in terms of your time and your emotional resources. So, keep repeating that “mantra.” All you’re responsible for is right now. Just make sure you are there – in the present.
Love you lots!
Gail
(No more Mrs. Hyatt for you!)
I love this – kind of like a Christian version of the “count to ten.”
WOW – this really spoke to me today. God has been trying to get my attention in this area and here it is again! As a woman in my mid 30′s about to finish up my master’s in counseling I have been very prone to focus on the future. For the last 3 years I have been taking classes and interning and looking ahead much more than staying in the present. Even this week as I finish studying for my comprehensive exam I needed this reminder to “look at my feet”. Along with being in school I am a wife and a mom to 2 girls (6&8) and I try to be more intentional to be in the moment with them but even there I can tend to look ahead. And in my relationship with God – I need to make more room for Him in the moment. Thank you for sharing this wisdom – and it is wisdom I will pass along to my girls and clients!
Kori
We’ll do just about anything to avoid being in the present. Real things are asked of us then and we must respond … unless of course we never hear.
You’re way ahead of most, Kori. Just being aware is huge!!
May God richly bless your full and busy life.
Kori, it is so easy to slip into the futuristic mode when we are trying to achieve goals. I have been so goal-oriented that I had my feet mostly in the middle of the air. I love Gail’s image of “looking at your feet” because it reminds me my feet is where I am planted in the present. We can all learn to do better at staying in the present.
Theresa
Gail,
This was the perfect thing for me to read today. You story was inspiring. So often I find myself trying to fill every minute with something. If I was sitting there waiting, I’m sure I would have been on my BB trying to get something else taken care of. Not being still. Not quieting my heart. Not preparing for what was to come. Your post is a good reminder of what is truly important and how we should listen and be still in Him. Thank you for your constant mentoring through these posts. I learn so much from you on a regular basis.
Much love,
Heather
Thank you, Heather.
Worry is a big issue (see Emily’s comment). Daydreaming is a big issue (see Kristie’s comment). Multi-tasking seems to be a big issue, too. Huh? I never thought of that. I’m going to ponder these some more. Thanks for your encouragement.
Gail, Living in the present instead of worrying sick about the future (even if the future is just minutes or hours away) seems to be a challenge for me. Looking at your feet provides a kind of reminder or “symbol” that helps one return to the present. Simple yet very powerful advice!
Let me tell you, I think it’s a challenge for EVERYBODY! It is a skill that we just have not been taught. So I’ll encourage you and you can encourage me. Deal?
Jane, my heart goes out to you as you grieve for the loss of your husband. Losing someone so close to you often brings up a whole spectrum of emotions, and often even the sense of having lost one’s identity and purpose. I wrote about my own losses a few months back in a series of blogposts called “Gaining Through Losing” (http://theresaipfroehlich.wordpress.com). I myself am still working through these losses and feeling I am just beginning to move closer to the end of the tunnel. Good news is every tunnel does have an opening at both ends.
May the Lord’s comfort be with you.
Gail, we got a deal.
BTW, the “Reply” feature on your blog – is this a feature provided by WordPress or did you have to add to it?
Open your dashboard.
Scroll down to Settings
Click Settings
Click Discussion
Click Other Comment Settings
Check the option, Enable Threaded comments 5 levels deep.
Here’s the info:
http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/comment-threading-is-here-plus-other-cool-comment-settings/
Thank you, Gail, for the help.
Beautiful reminder. I’m usually thinking long and hard about the past or worrying long and hard about the future. Oh to be planted in the great right now.
You can do it!! I’ve found it’s amazing to see what God does when I’m totally alert to him. Usually takes me completely by surprise. … I love surprises
This is great! BUT I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT SHE SAID!!! Sorry, none of my business
Great post Gail.
I’ll never tell … .
Mom,
I am so proud of YOU! I am loving how much wisdom you are giving to me. I was habit a hard time sleping last night and so I thought to myself, “What would my mom do?” She would be thankful. So I started thanking God for the people in my life. When I got to you I started thanking Him for the wisdom your giving me. I said:
“Thanks for allowing me to have a mom who is constantly looking at the positive. Who is constantly giving thanks and reminding me to. Who is always living in the present moment and making it completely contagious! Thanks for making me a mom who loves tremendously well.”
Mom, I couldn’t ask for a better mom. You are so inspiring and encouraging. I LOVE YOU!!
What I think is so neat is how I’m learning from you, too. You are so inspiring to me!
Marissa, It’s wonderful to meet a young adult who loves and respects her mom so much. You have blessed me with your comments about your Mom.
Theresa
A few years ago, my husband and I received T-shirts from a Celebrate Your Marriage weekend. On the front they say, “I am here. This is now.” And on the back, they say simply, “celebrate.”
I don’t remember how Jay and Laura described the meaning, but to me they speak about the present, being in the now. Celebrating the now. Because all I have right now is now. And I don’t want to miss anything–which will happen if I fret about the past or the future.
I don’t want to miss any burning bush moments. Where I stand is holy ground.
Thanks for the reminder!
Dear friend, so much wise counsel you have given me. I am not, by nature, a worrier. But I do hold on to regret. And I have a tendency to let circumstances overwhelm me at times. This reminder that this moment, this person is all I am responsible for is very freeing.
But the next part has been the critical part for me. “He is with me.” Whatever this moment requires of me, I am not limited to my own resources. And that is very good news!
Thank you for all the times you have allowed Him to speak through you to me. It means more than I can say.
I love you.
So While I Wait to Worry – I will Look at My Feet!
Enjoying your posts – glad I found this site (thank your husband)
That’s perfect. I think I’ll put that one in my purse!
I woke up this morning in tears as I have every day since my husband of 40 years died on September 9th after a two-year battle with endstage liver disease. He was blessed to have received a transplant, but sadly it didn’t work. I was blessed and grateful to be his primary caregiver during that time. Although that journey was overwhelming and exhausting, it was always full of hope. Now that he’s gone, I’ve struggled with how to re-center myself…how to find God’s purpose for me. I cry about the past and worry about the future. Your beautiful words have given me a new way to physically ground myself (literally) in my feet and to try to live in the present and in the presence of God. Thank you.
Oh, Jane. Your comment has brought tears to my eyes. I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. May God be closer to you than your own breath.
I am profoundly humbled to think that anything I have said could be of any comfort to you. Thanks be to God. Regardless of what we’re dealing with – joy or sadness – the only way to experience God is to meet him in the present moment.
I only hope that I will be able to remember this when I go through something as difficult as you’ve gone through.
May God richly bless you – now.
Gail
[...] to do that I sort of just float through the present somewhere between the two. Yesterday I read Gail Hyatt’s blog about this very subject and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Her blog is great and encourages you [...]
Michelle,
Thanks so much for the reference to this post on your blog. I left you a comment.
Blessings,
Gail
Thanks, Gail. I think you’d appreciate this poem from what’s come to be one of my favorite blogs:
“You are not there. Somewhere in the future, suffering for something that hasn’t happened yet. You are not there, in a place where all your worries manifest.
You are not there. Somewhere in the past, reliving your old mistakes and regrets. You are not there, in a place where memories resurrect.
You are here. Right here.”
- The Autumn in their Eyes (http://pleasefindthis.blogspot.com/2009/10/autumn-in-their-eyes.html)
Thanks for this. Beautifully said!
I love this post! That’s why I referenced the link on my blog! Thank you for your comment on my blog yesterday, that made my day. I look forward to your insight and inspiration, keep it coming!
This reminds me of God’s question to Adam in garden, the question Billy Graham likes to repeat: “Where are you?”
It’s a fantastic reminder.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Marshall, What a great insight to link “living in the present” to God’s question to Adam, “Where are you?” Indeed, when we live somewhere other than the “present”, we are running away from the “Present” that God places in front of us and we are also running away from his Presence!
Coach Theresa
It’s not something I always want to remember, but yes, that’s it exactly.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
[...] seeing something else I noticed a phrase in a recent post of hers. The post was entitled “Look At Your Feet” and was about listening to God, knowing that He’s there with you and that you need not be [...]
Gail,
Your words spoke to my heart today. I have a LOT going on right now. My fiance and I are praying about where to go to church, I interviewed for a new job last week, family problems… I could go on. I have been having trouble sleeping and just overall been extremely stressed. I am going to read and re-read this and REALLY listen to God and what He is asking of me. Thank you for your words. God bless you!
Sherri
What a great response Sherri. You sure have a lot of decisions facing you. Just remember the truth. God is with you. And he will show you what to do.
One thing I’ve learned … or I should say am still learning … is that listening to God and living in the present moment is something that I have to continually remind myself to do. I’m constantly falling back into my old patterns of thinking. Constantly! So I have to remember to look at my feet. I think that is how God has designed it. That’s what keeps the relationship alive and active. That’s what keeps us dependent on Him.
Keep going. One step at a time.
Gail,
I just stumbled upon your blog. Beautful! I love the post about encountering God in the present moment. So true that we only have the present: the past is gone, the future is not here. I think this is one of the most important lessons in the spiritual life.
God bless you. Keep up the good work.
Fr. Michael Najim
By the way, I posted something similar on my blog and it actually came up on the end of your post as a “possibly related post.” The title of my post is: Are You Missing the Gift of the Present?
http://liveholiness.com/2009/10/27/are-you-missing-the-gift-of-the-present/
I just posted a link to your post. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I loved it!
(See http://gailbhyatt.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/a-follow-up-to-look-at-your-feet/ )
I am quite blown away by the fact that Gail, Fr. Michael and I (and maybe others as well) are converging on this theme of “Living in the Present”. Over the last two weeks, I posted a series on “Life-Mapping By Asking Great Questions”. One of the Great Questions we need to ask: How Do You Relate To Your Past, Present And Future?” posted Friday March 12. This was a series of blogposts I wrote out of my brokenness arising from some traumatic life transitions.
http://theresaipfroehlich.wordpress.com
I loved the Life-Mapping concept! And I love the question, “How Do You Relate to Your Past, Present and Future.”
Excellent. Thanks so much for sharing.
As I’ve been looking at my feet God has been answering prayer and proving Himself to be faithful as always. My fiance and I committed to the church we had been attending and feel a great peace that is where God wants us to serve Him. I got the job I had applied for and that will enable me to be more fully involved in church ministry (I was working nights and will be working days). Family problems are still there and there are, as always, question marks about the future. But, God is ever present and meeting us where we are. God is good, all the time!
Very good news! And even the hard things are in your life for your “salvation, ” for your transformation, sanctification — to conform you into the likeness of Christ.
Yes indeed!
Lovely post. Thank you.
Thanks, Jill.
Hi Gail, I saw your tweet about this today. I’ve been looking at my feet all day; your post is an incredible reminder. I’m walking through a big (huge!) career change right now and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose sight of the now. There’s no manual that I can follow to get me through this specific challenging time. What has happened is a huge blessing and answered prayer (although answered unlike I had imagined!)–but there’s a ginormous learning curve, some workplace drama that I’m likely to encounter in the next several days, and many unknowns. I’ve been reading Mike’s leadership blogs over the past couple months and have been “blue-skying it,” picking out the characteristics of my next team leader… and God laughed and made *me* the leader of our team. Now I just have to be in the present moment and draw on Him for strength, wisdom, and right words.
Anyhow, thank you for blessing me through your blog. And next time I’m strolling past Merridees with Spence/Randy/et al like I was last week, and I recognize you from your Twitter pic, I’ll say hello!
I left a reply, but forgot to put it under your comment. So take a look.
You’d better stop and say “hello!”
Sounds like you are experiencing lots of changes, and it sounds like you are keeping your focus right where it needs to be. Proud of you. Stay connected to the “author and finisher of your faith.”
Another great question to ask yourself when things are taking a different turn than you expected is, “What does this make possible?” Mike blogged on this a while back:
http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/07/what-does-this-make-possible.html
http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/11/why-you-aren’t-dead-yet.html
Hope to see you sometime.
Gail
Thanks Gail! Very inspirational! My feet just spoke to me saying, “it’s time for me to get up and get moving to walk into my God-given destiny!” I’ve been sitting down way too long! It’s time to get out of my comfort zone lol!
Hi Courtney,
Wow, that’s quite a message! So, get up and get moving.
Love it!
Gail
Thanks so much for sharing truth! There are so many things in our lives pulling us in many different directions and yet we need to be reminded of the truth, all we have in here and now. As a pastor’s wife, I know exactly the kind of situation you were in that day… have even allowed myself to be so preoccupied with the past and future so much that I missed the opportunity to help heal a heart! I like the illustrative power of “look at your feet”…. I think I will get out some springy nail polish and make sure to add a little smile next time I have to follow your advice!
Soaking up the Son,
Sharon
I needed this today. You’re words are wise indeed. When I look at my feet I want to find them planted on the solid Word of God.
So glad you dropped by and grateful you found the words encouraging.
Thank you.
I can honestly say I don’t know how I found this, but somehow I managed to stumble upon this post. I’ve been going through some struggles and was in tears before I could finish reading because it was exactly what I needed. God works in mysterious ways.
But thank you so much sharing. Now I too shall always look at my feet.
God Bless
Gail,
I just found your blog via your husband’s blog. So, glad I found this today…will share this with others.
Bless you!
I so enjoyed this… I’ll never look at my feet the same.
[...] has been no walking on egg shells. No whispers behind someone’s back. We’re just there, looking at our feet and being present, loving and appreciating each other. Laughing, hugging (my personal favorite), debating, sparring, [...]
What an excellent thing to practice…Look at your Feet. Love the thoughts.
[...] remind me to live in the present moment and see where God is at work and what He’s asking of [...]
Just found your old blog through the new blog – well – anyhow – found this post! Thanks for sharing!
As a new leader I need to follow your advice… I will…
[...] remind me to live in the present moment and see where God is at work and what He’s asking of [...]
[...] has been no walking on egg shells. No whispers behind someone’s back. We’re just there, looking at our feet and being present, loving and appreciating each other. Laughing, crying, hugging (my personal favorite), cooking, [...]