so, what are you going to do today?

i found this a couple days ago in an anglican breviary i was trying (unsuccessfully) to navigate:

alexander elchaninov wrote in the diary of a russian priest:

our continual mistake is that we do not concentrate upon the present day, the actual hour, of our life; we live in the past or in the future; we are continually expecting the coming of some special moment when our life will unfold itself in its full significance. and we do not notice that life is flowing like water through our fingers, sifting like precious grain from a loosely fastened bag. constantly, each day, each hour, god is sending us people, circumstances, tasks, which should mark the beginning of our renewal; yet we pay them no attention, and thus continually we resist god's will for us. indeed, how can god help us? only by sending us in our daily life certain people, and certain coincidences of circumstance. if we accepted every hour of our life as the hour of God's will for us, as the decisive, most important, unique hour of our life — what sources of joy, love, strength, as yet hidden from us, would spring from the depths of our soul! let us then be serious in our attitude towards each person we meet in our life, towards every opportunity of performing a good deed; be sure that you will then fulfill god's will for you in these very circumstances, on that very day, in that very hour.

(quoted in “the Handicapped convert” by priest joseph huneycutt)

(thanks to kevin basil whose site helped me place the quote)