Time is perhaps the most convincing illusion we face. We mark it, track it, chase it, fear it. We live in constant relationship with the past we regret and the future we worry about. But A Course in Miracles teaches that the only true moment is now—and that now is where healing, peace, and freedom live.
“The present is the only time there is,” the Course says.
“The only aspect of time that is eternal is now.”
Yet we rarely live there.
Our minds wander through yesterday’s mistakes and tomorrow’s problems. We rehearse old conversations. We prepare for imaginary arguments. We daydream, dread, and delay. The ego thrives in this wandering, because it knows that if it can keep us out of the present, it can keep us out of peace.
The ego’s time-bound thinking sounds like this:
- “Once I fix this, I’ll be okay.”
- “If only I hadn’t done that, I’d be free.”
- “Someday, I’ll be happy.”
But Spirit speaks differently.
It whispers: “Peace is here. Now. No waiting.”
Living in the now doesn’t mean we deny the past or ignore the future. It means we stop using them as reasons to suffer. It means we bring our attention, our breath, and our willingness to this moment, because only in this moment can we choose love.
The Course reminds us that:
“Now is the closest approximation of eternity that this world offers.”
Why is now so powerful? Because it’s where the Holy Spirit lives. He doesn’t dwell in your history. He’s not guessing your future. He’s here, right now, ready to guide, comfort, and heal. But He can only reach you in your awareness—and that means you have to meet Him in the present.
Try this: pause and take a deep breath. Feel it enter your body. Let everything else fall away—the emails, the errands, the news, the noise. Feel what’s here. Not what was. Not what might be. What is.
That is presence. That is now. That is the doorway to God.
When we anchor ourselves in now, miracles become accessible. Because miracles are not about changing the past or controlling the future. They are about shifting perception in this instant—and that shift can only occur in the present.
Think about how often your suffering is tied to time:
- Guilt lives in the past.
- Fear lives in the future.
- But peace? Peace lives in now.
In the 1990s, a quote appeared on a Readers’ Digest calendar that spoke to this so clearly:
“We crucify ourselves between two thieves—regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow.”
That’s exactly what the ego does. It keeps us nailed to stories and worries that don’t exist anymore—except in our minds.
But the truth is, the past is over. It cannot be changed, only reinterpreted.
And the future is not yet real. It cannot be controlled, only surrendered.
Now is all there is.
Now is all we need.
The challenge, of course, is that the mind resists the present. It feels too still, too unstructured, too… quiet. The ego says, “If you stop thinking about everything, you’ll lose control.” But presence is not a loss of control—it’s the release of a burden you were never meant to carry.
In presence, you don’t lose awareness—you gain clarity.
You don’t lose motivation—you gain direction.
You don’t lose protection—you gain peace.
Living in the now doesn’t mean your life becomes passive or boring. Quite the opposite. It becomes alive. You start to notice the color of the sky. The feel of water on your skin. The tone in someone’s voice. The whisper of Spirit in your heart.
You begin to live—not as a character in a story about “someday”—but as a soul in communion with God right now.
This doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a practice. A return. A remembering.
Each time you catch yourself spiraling into the past, gently say, “That moment is gone. I choose peace now.”
Each time you find yourself future-tripping into fear, say, “That hasn’t happened. I choose trust now.”
And when you forget—and you will—forgive yourself. Then choose again. The Holy Instant, as the Course calls it, is always available. It doesn’t depend on your circumstances. Only your willingness.
The now is not a void—it is a fullness. It holds everything you need. Your guidance, your joy, your next right step—all of it is here.
Not in the past you can’t fix.
Not in the future you can’t predict.
But in the present you can embrace.
So today, be where your feet are.
Let this moment be enough.
Let this breath be holy.
Let this now be your sanctuary.
And from this place, live.
