Sift for the Christ-part

A client asked me today, “Well what do I do when I have a ‘bad day’?, like when I get down on myself because I’m starting to feel depressed?  Or I’m frustrated because I can’t comfort my infant son who’s running a fever? Or my family rained down criticism because my effort at making pancakes for them turned out yucky?  How do I handle these bad times?”  The key to the answer is to live so clearly and consciously in the moment that your focus is entirely on God.  One needs to take hold of the substance in that given situation which I am calling the “Christ-part.”  Identify it, grab ahold of, and cling hard to what is all about Jesus.  The “Christ-part” might be seen in acts of service stemming from love, ideas blossoming out of faith, or the experiences of God’s grace that occurs within that difficult situation.  The “Christ-part” might be seen in the visible beauty of the moment, the emotional contentment present, or  the new discovery of a wound healed or a sin forgiven.   I urge you to sift the situation, and retain only the Christ-part, the aspects  that will last and be carried right on into Eternity with you. In so doing, toss away that which is not Christ.  Throw off any of the condemnation, the criticism, the fear, the threats, or the emotional deadwood and carry only the Christ-part out of that bad time.  This discipline is the essence of living in the moment for Christ.  Release the past to God who forgives all mistakes. Release the future to God who equips you as needed when the time comes.  And embrace the Christ-part that is laid before you in the here and now.