“Behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation. …
This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; … .” (
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It had been a long yet wonderful day with the family. My
husband and I had taken our six children to spend the day at an amusement park,
wandering up and down, over and across, this way and that, trying to cover
every square inch of excitement eight people could possibly find. Midway
through the day we slipped out to the car for a brief rest and a picnic lunch.
It felt good to pause for a moment from all the hustle and bustle, though it’s
hard to truly slow down with six excited little ones. After returning for
another round of rides and shows, the day finally began to wind down. As
evening settled in, my husband and I agreed it had been a day full of laughter,
joy, enthusiasm, and thrills. There had been a few tears and a handful of
frustrated looks, but all in all the day had gone remarkably well, and we were
still smiling as we left the park behind.
As we folded the stroller and secured the youngest children into their car seats, a long sigh drifted from my husband’s side of the car. We were both worn out, ready to head home and rest even though daylight still lingered. Before pulling out of the parking lot, I turned to check on the children. Their excited chatter filled the car, a happy hum of leftover energy, when suddenly two words rose above the noise and stopped me cold. From the lips of one of our still‑energized little ones came the question, bright and unfiltered: “What now?
Today I try, through the tests and trials of my life, to
ask with a quiet smile, “What now?” What now, in this very moment, deserves my
attention? What now is the path that will lead to lasting joy and real
happiness? Should I go this way or that? Is it wiser to walk up one path now or
take another first? Do I cross the street in the middle of the road so I don’t
miss an opportunity, or do I gather my faith and courage and walk over the
bridge to see what the Lord has prepared for me there? Must I cover every
possible corner to find the greatest joy, or is it perfectly right to pause,
rest, and have lunch? And in all these choices, am I choosing my own way alone,
or am I allowing the Lord to guide me so that His will becomes my path instead
of my own?
Marvin J. Ashton taught, “To live more fully each hour
and to glean the most from each day is wisdom. How unwise we are to waste our
todays when they determine the significance of our tomorrows. We should wisely
live a day at a time because that is all we have. If we have good health, we
should enjoy it. If we do not have good health, we should begin now to
anxiously try to improve it. What a thrill it is to see people all around
achieving, conquering, and overcoming through proper daily action, self-discipline,
and total commitment. Progression and achievement belong to those who have
learned to use the opportunity of now. Our strides of today will determine our
locations tomorrow.” (Marvin J. Ashton, “The Time Is Now,” Ensign,
May 1975, 85).
His counsel settles into my heart each time I hear that simple question: What now? It reminds me that the Lord works with us in the present tense. He invites us to look at the very moment we are standing in and choose with purpose, choose with faith, choose with hope. Today is where strength is built. Today is where healing begins. Today is where joy is gathered, even in small handfuls. And today is where the Lord quietly shapes our tomorrows through the choices we make with Him.
When I ask What now? I am really asking, What is the Lord offering me in this moment? What step can I take that honors Him, honors my family, and honors the life He has given me? Some days that step is bold. Some days it is gentle. Some days it is simply choosing to breathe, to rest, to trust. But every day, it is an invitation to live fully and faithfully in the now, knowing that each small stride becomes part of the path He is preparing ahead.
Our todays are connected to our tomorrows, and what we choose to do with today shapes the direction of every tomorrow that follows. While it is wise to think about the future, we must be careful not to assume that the best of life is always somewhere ahead of us. It is astonishing how many people believe that joy is waiting just around the next corner, forgetting that we are standing in the very place we once hoped to reach. We are already around yesterday’s corner. Today is the time to truly live. Today is the time to give ourselves a head start on tomorrow.
It is unfortunate that some simply endure the present while waiting for a better day to arrive. Trials, afflictions, and tribulations can dim our enthusiasm, and it is natural to hope for brighter days. Yet even in the midst of hardship, we are invited to seek the abundant life as we go along. Pain, heartache, and grief are woven into our mortal experience, and during those wrenching seasons we cling to the hope that the sun will rise again. But we cannot sit still, waiting for life to begin. We must look for the richness that exists even now—in small mercies, in quiet strength, in the gentle ways the Lord sustains us moment by moment. Eternity is not something that begins later. Eternity is already in motion, unfolding in the choices we make today.
Years ago a newspaper article told a story about an elevator boy who was whistling a merry tune on his way up on the elevator one morning.
“Why so happy?” a grim-faced, scowling rider asked him.
The boy replied, “I’ve never lived this day before.”
The writer of the article comments: “This boy was wiser than his years. The only life we can live is today. Yesterday is behind us. However golden the hours, they cannot be lived again, but only remembered. Tomorrow is before us, and however sweet its expectations, the clock must take its patient course before we can test our hope against reality. We can live no more than one day at a time.” (Roy Pearson, Words to Live By.)
There is something profoundly true in that childlike wisdom. Each day is new, untouched, unspent. We have never lived this day before. Whatever joys or sorrows yesterday held, they are behind us now. Whatever hopes or fears tomorrow may bring, they are still waiting their turn. But today, this moment is ours to live with purpose, gratitude, and faith. When I ask myself What now? I am really choosing to step into the day I have been given, fully awake to its possibilities. I am choosing to honor the gift of the present instead of rushing past it or wishing it away. And in that simple shift of heart, the Lord often meets me with quiet reassurance that this day, like every day, can hold something good.
Elder Richard L. Evans in “The Spoken Word” shared this
meaningful thought: “It sometimes seems
that we live as if we wonder when life is going to begin. It isn’t always clear
just what we are waiting for, but some of us sometimes persist in waiting so
long that life slips by—finding us still waiting for something that has been going
on all the time. … This is the life in which the work of this life is to be
done. Today is as much a part of eternity as any day a thousand years ago or as
will be any day a thousand years hence. This is it, whether we are thrilled or
disappointed, busy or bored! This is life, and it is passing.” (Improvement Era, Jan. 1967, p. 65.)
Centuries ago Amulek taught us “Behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation. … This life is
the time for men to prepare to meet God; … the day of this life is the day for
men to perform their labors.” (Alma
34:31-32.) Today is a day of
eternity.
So many choices rise before us each day. At different moments along our journey we find ourselves asking, What now. At this time in my life, what does my Heavenly Father desire of me. What now, in this season that is no longer childhood or youth or early marriage or the busy years of raising little ones. What now, when the roles I once filled have shifted and the familiar patterns of life have changed. What now, when dreams I once held close seem to have slipped through my fingers because of trials I never expected. What now, when I feel broken or unable to move forward and I do not know how to take even the smallest step.
The future will come, whether we feel ready for it or
not. But the shape of that future is being formed quietly in the choices we
make today. Each act of faith, each moment of courage, each small decision to
trust the Lord becomes part of the foundation of our tomorrows. Even when life
feels heavy or uncertain, the Lord invites us to keep asking the same simple
question that began this whole reflection. What now. Not with fear, but with
faith that He will show the next step, even if it is gentle, even if it is
small, even if it is simply to breathe and keep going.
I have had wonderful moments in the journey of my life
but I have had gut wrenching experiences as well. Whether full of joy or heavy with heartache,
it will pass. That doesn’t mean there will
not be more ahead, for life offers both great joy and the refining blessings of
adversity. No matter if my day seems
full of sunshine or shadowed by storm clouds, I am trying to begin each new day
and new season with the simple question, “What
Now?” I know there are no
unimportant days in the lives of the anxiously engaged in good things. I hope we
will have the desire and a determination to make each day a good day. And
in some small way, may these thoughts stir within you a longing to seek your
own answer to the question “What
Now?”
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