Times stands still in the present!

In one of my past posts, I talked about the importance of living in present moment awareness.  I mentioned how I failed at smiling when my mind wandered to past and future events.  Yesterday, as is true of all things inspired by the Holy Spirit, I received an answer to why this is so. This answer led me to realize something else.

I started a new  chapter in the current book I’m reading Forty Weeks – An Ignatian Path to Christ with Sacred Story Prayer.  Here’s what it says and the answer to why it’s impossible to smile unless we’re rooted in present moment awareness:

The eternal God can only be experienced in the here and now, for everything in the universe is sustained by God’s love in the present moment.  When I worry about the past, or fret about the future, my consciousness of God, of creation, and of my deepest desires, is blocked.  My challenge is to anchor both heart and mind firmly in the present:  in each thought, word, and deed, as the story of my life evolves, in each moment, in God’s presence. 

So let’s put it all together now.  We  can smile only when we’re focused on the present and ONLY in the present can God be experienced!  Here’s my legal logical reasoning mind at work:  WE CAN SMILE ONLY WHEN  GOD IS EXPERIENCED!

“The eternal God can only be experienced in the here and now” must have lingered in my subconscious  all night because I spent this morning in a powerful meditative state.  God’s Presence was palpable.  I savored the moments when tears welled up in my eyes because that’s when I felt Him closest.  As I remained focused on the present moment this morning, I realized something else:  it felt like time stood still.  Let me explain.

Late Sunday night I decided to get myself ready for a productive week by making a list of things to do.  Being the organized, sometimes neurotic , person I am I split the list into categories – business, home and church.  I wound up with a full double-sided sheet of paper.  Initially this overwhelmed me.   I started to tackle some of my chores after making the list last night.  Needless to say, I was up past midnight.  Normally what happens when I make such a huge list is I become paralyzed.  Most of my time is spent worrying about everything I have to do instead of my actually doing anything.  This in turn makes me feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day. Today was different.

I woke up after only getting 4.5 hours of sleep last night.    After seeing my husband off to work I was tempted to go back to bed but I refused.  I knew it would keep me from my morning routine of prayer and contemplation.  It would also change the trajectory of my day and the plans I had made.  Instead I decided to sit on my deck with coffee and just be.  I watched the fog disappear and reappear in the distance. As I listened to the birds sing their morning songs, I watched my dogs do what they do best – teach me.

I continued with my morning and decided I wouldn’t have time to attend mass today.  But…………as we all know, God has a great sense of humor.  I “planned” a busy day where I wouldn’t have time to go to church.  God had a different plan – time to spare!  Between 5 and 8:30 am I managed to be still for a significant amount of time, pray, do a load of laundry, clean two bathrooms, vacuum, have breakfast and  head out to church with enough time to participate in morning prayer.  It literally felt like time stood still this morning.   God is infinite and when we truly experience Him in the here and now time seems infinite as well.   This morning I realized things effortlessly fall into place when you remain present.

For my sisters in Christ who are reading Forty Weeks with me, this is for you.  The consensus is that it’s going to be difficult to maintain the routine required in the book.  It almost seems like too much to remember – too many steps.  I am happy to report that the routine just flowed for me today.  As a matter of fact, I completed today’s assignment before I even opened the book and that wasn’t my intention.  Simply being present allowed me to enter into that space of grace! I felt closer to God this morning than I have in a long time.  Boy did it feel good to be steeped in prayer and presence.  The lesson here:  don’t think too much, just be and let it flow!  Remember, “it’s not Mount Everest” applies to the rest of the book too.

Are you interested in doing an archaeological dig on yourself?  Do you know what makes you tick?  If you’re interested in going deeper in your spiritual life and getting the answers to those questions, I highly recommend starting the Forty Weeks program.  Do it with a group for encouragement. It can be intense at times but the reward for following through is worth it.  I’m only half way done and have learned so much about myself, others and how to live in awareness.  The book was written by a Jesuit priest but you don’t have to be Catholic to read it and follow its suggestions.   I hope you are moved to give it a try.  God bless you!

For more information on the program click here.