Press Play
by Jason Romano
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34
I have a photographic memory on many things from my past and one of them was the day we got our first VCR (Video Cassette Recorder). It was a QUASAR and cost us about $400. My grandparents got it for us as a gift and it was easily the longest lasting gift we had. I was 9 years old when we got that VCR and it lasted at least until I graduated high school 8 years later, maybe even longer.
We would constantly go to the video rental store in Ravena, NY and rent Star Wars, or Back to the Future, or Rocky or any of our favorite movies and watch them on repeat. And we would get those T-120 cassette tapes and record everything on cable. Shows, movies, sporting events, everyday it seemed like something was being recorded. Binge watching didn’t exist back then, so we’d just watch the same thing over and over.
And if you rented a video, there was always a reminder on the tape to “be kind and rewind.” Back then, it took about 2 minutes to fully rewind a 2 hour movie back to where it was. And if it wasn’t rewinded, it was being an inconvenience on the next person to rent that tape.
Thinking back today on those times, so much of my life was about living in the moment. Just hitting play on the VCR of life and living out the movie journey that I was in.
But I know for so many, there’s a tension or struggle with them. Some people are living their life trying to hit the rewind button and go back to the past.
Others are in a difficult situation and want to press that fast-forward button to try and get away from the cold winter that they are stuck in.
The Gospel of Matthew in chapter 6, verse 34 features the words of Jesus tell us that being anxious and worrying about tomorrow is something we should sway from doing. I think that’s great advice.
This week, look to press play on your life and live each day to the fullest. A former colleague of mine at ESPN, Herm Edwards, used to say this — “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
We can’t press rewind or fast-forward on life, so we might as well just press play and be great today.
Have a great week.
SUBSCRIBE TO “OVER THE HUMP” DEVOTIONAL
Jason Romano is a speaker, author, media consultant and church leader with over 20 years of professional broadcasting experience on the regional and network level. Jason is now the host and producer of the Sports Spectrum podcast where he interviews athletes, coaches, and other personalities on the intersection of sports and faith.
Imagine that you could sit down and pick the brains of some of the top leaders in the country! That’s the premise behind the Linch with a Leader podcast. Learn how these leaders – all among the best in their respective field – have risen to the top, while continuing to grow spiritually and chase after the Lord.
