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Thinking big is something most people would agree is a good thing.

But the down side of thinking big is that it can easily take you out of the present moment. It can easily cause one to overlook the beauty, the possibility and even the reality of what's happening now. It is always a temptation to think, "this isn't it," or that life is really happening in some other place or for some other person. And almost always, it's "better" over "there" than it is right here, right now. That is too bad, to put it mildly, and in the extreme, it is tragic.

In Henry James' 1903 novella "The Beast in the Jungle," John Marcher convinces his lady friend May Bartram that he is destined for something really big, something perhaps "rare and strange, possibly prodigious and terrible," something incredibly special that no one else could understand or experience.

For many years he is basically disengaged from ordinary life, choosing instead to foolishly anticipate some kind of extraordinary fate that had no focus and no basis in reality. The story ends with Miss Bartram standing forlornly beside his grave, the grim and lifelong hoax of his very special destiny dawning on her. Their ominous and special thinking had robbed both of them of their very lives.

Our spiritual journeys should provide us the way out of this trap. To awaken to the moment is a Buddhist idea, but in Christianity or any other faith, we should be taught the same. Now is when God is available, and here in your heart, your very experience, is where God resides. Being present with whatever is happening right now, whether it is "big" or "small," is what gives us our experience of life as the treasure it is meant to be.

In relationships: Especially with children, being present to their world, their concerns and their dearness is tremendously gratifying and sweet, not only for you, but also for them as well. Being with children is just one little moment after the next. And then, they're all grown up.

In work: To give oneself completely to a task is as satisfying as any indulgence. The apostle Paul said to the Colossians, "Live the kind of lives that prove you belong to the Lord. Then you will want to please him in every kind of good work." That includes washing the dishes, taking out the trash or writing the next great American novel.

In doing good for others: Don't be fooled by the "rich and famous" kind of life. The bright lights of fame and fortune only obscure the truth of a life well lived. Enjoying the life God gave you is the real golden key. And doing good in small and inglorious ways, paradoxically, is the way to build a life of satisfaction and quiet glory. That's what all religions teach at their core.

So, think big, as in, "God heal the world." Then, breathe deep and think small, as in, "This moment is God's gift to me, right here and right now."

The Rev. Julie G. Olmsted is pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Miamisburg. Contact her at jgolmsted@woh.rr.com.

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