We knew our daughter had an ability to dance. But without realizing that she had any desire to make a career out of it, she suddenly started booking jobs and even she seemed to be caught off-guard by how much success she was met with so quickly. It started when she received a call back from the Janet Jackson tour, and then on the heels of that, she booked a music video. Following that was a commercial with Serena Williams in New York, and then she became a cast member of a show choreographed and directed by the world-renown dancers, Keone and Mari. Next came opportunities to dance with Cirque du Soleil and Billie Eilish—all in less than a year.

When she finally had a day off she asked me to take her to lunch, which I jumped at; it had been months since she had slowed down enough to even have a chat with, and I couldn’t wait to just review all the cool things that were going on in her life.

It had been months since she had slowed down enough to even have a chat with.

“I don’t know, dad,” she said with a big sigh as we sat down in the restaurant. “How am I going to make a career out of this, you know?” She bit into a fry with a bit of fatigue. “I mean I have to keep my body healthy, keep up with training, stay in the right circles so that I’m well-networked. You know, I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”

Her face was long and I could just see she carried the weight of the world. Her lament went on for some time, complete with moments of staring out the window and shaking her head slightly as she was lost in all the trouble that lay ahead.

“Well,” I interrupted, “every dancer you danced with your whole life and about a million other girls around the world would give their right arms to be where you are now. You’re a working, professional dancer getting paid to travel and perform on some of the biggest stages in the world. What a shame if you looked past this blessing to a trial that hasn’t even happened yet. What a crime if you don’t allow yourself to actually enjoy the moment, this moment.

What a shame if you looked past this blessing to a trial that hasn’t even happened yet.

She looked up from her burger. “Oh,” she said. “You’re right.”  

Truth is, most of us do this. Our minds tend to be busy with looking forward instead of feeling and embracing the glory of God’s provision in the present, the right now—no matter what you’re going through. 

I knew that I had spoken some truth to my daughter, but was I particularly good at following my own advice? Not really. And so I turned off my own busy mind, and silenced my phone, and forced myself to look her in the eyes and enjoy what was going on in front of me: my daughter was sitting with her dad eating a burger on a beautiful day with not that much to do. We laughed and joked and chit-chatted about a lot of nothing, and I didn’t miss a blessed moment of it. 

Matthew 6:28-34
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.