Past, Present, and Future – 3 in 1 Gift

My mom has a favorite quote she shares with us often, “The past is history, the future is a mystery, this is the present and that is why it is called a gift.” In doing some digging, I found several variations of this quote that date back to 1902. Credit for the 1902 quote goes to American historian and author Alice Morse Earle:

“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”

The concept of past, present, and future most likely brings to mind Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge who was visited by a variety of spirits in the classic story titled, A Christmas Carol. Guess how many renditions of this story have been produced into film? Too many to even know about! With a tale that is 177 years old and easily over 100 adaptations of the same story, we can’t possibly skip watching this important message during the Christmas holiday season.

Well, I did. I haven’t watched one version of the film yet. My 17 year old Evan has already twice enjoyed The Muppet Christmas Carol, my children’s favorite. I submit to you that we don’t have to watch such an insightful movie only at Christmas time. Recently, I came across an article that listed the top 21 movie adaptations for the story. For me to start watching all 21 from this article, I would be halfway to our next Christmas season. Watching Christmas movies all year long? Yep, I am perfectly fine with this plan.

The top #1 pick in the article is the 1951 Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Alastair Sim, who is noted as portraying the most realistic mannerisms when comparing films to the original novel.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these time “zones”, if you will: past, present, future.

What we know from our past – childhood, family traditions, family situations, turmoil, hardship, torn relationships, crisis, celebrations, memorable experiences, and accomplishments to name a short list. So much of our past defines who we are today.

The present – learning how to live daily with our past and navigating through situations that bring up certain emotions and feelings. No doubt this can be painful at times, causing us to push it aside and ignore things that try to steal our joy. I suppose this is what the Bible and therapists excel in: helping us to heal from negative pasts to live joyfully in the present. How we live daily in the present will determine the outlook we have for our future.

The future – ah, this is where the other two are placed neatly together in a lovely treasure chest. Having a hopeful future may possibly be influenced by our past and present. How we utilize our past and abide in our present can help to shape the future endeavors and relationships that become part of our life story.

I can see why the quote focuses on the present being a gift, because it is important to embrace and cherish what we have now. It calls for us to live daily with our best effort, and at times that means changing some things about ourselves. Nobody likes change, but when we are more aware of how we can change for the better, then it becomes a “gift or present” to those in our lives.

As I ponder the tenses, I have made a huge circle and now suggest that all THREE tenses are one big, exclusive gift: past, present, and future. Hold onto your past for those things that bring a smile to your face. Daily, give thanks for what you have in the present. See the positive influence you can make in someone’s life today. Learn from lessons of the past to make wiser decisions in the future. Aim high and shoot for the stars with your future! Dream big and go after those aspirations.

Some may call this living a life of joy and contentment. Let’s learn from Mr. Scrooge in his last lines of the famous Dickens’ novel:

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.’’

‘’I don’t know what to do! I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel; I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!”

To finish that story off and this blog, may we all have the outlook that Tiny Tim declared with his words and life, “God bless Us, Every One!” I love this line so much that I say it often after a meal time prayer. It also happens to be on the back of our dog, Darla’s name tag. I don’t ever want to lose her, but if she happened to be found wandering; someone would see that tag and know that God wants to bless them.

I declare as we close out 2020 and prepare for the new year,

“God Bless Us EVERYONE, EVERY ONE!”