What It Means To Be Present

You cannot know God if you are not present. This means being present with yourself and being present in the Now. When we are present with ourselves, we don't run from ourselves --- we must accept ourselves as we are, all of the emotions such as anger and grief, the insecurities, the fear, the judgment, the guilt, etc. Only by fully feeling our emotions and by accepting what we see as "negative," can we transform those and see who we really are, which is Light, which is Love, which is One with God. When we accept and don't try to hide or run from them, we stay in the present moment. The Now heals them, because God is present only in the Now. The Now dissolves the illusion of time, that there is a "past" and a "future." We believe there is a past, because all of our "negative" emotions and judgments are created only from a past. All of these go away in the present moment, for God is there, and when the Presence of God is recognized within you, you are acknowledging your Oneness with Him and All that is. You have no problems, no past, no future, when you are in the Now. Lawrence Doochin