Last time (see Part 1), we looked at how to acknowledge what has been done to our psyche, as we have tried to formulate our world, ourselves and others. We got clear on how and why we have constructed our belief system, i.e. where our ego helped enslave us to itself.

            Next, we thanked God for bringing this awareness to us, to see a problem that we didn’t even know that we had. He comes to you when you are ready, strengthening you to see the wisdom of following His steps to set your life aright. Then, suffering will be a forgotten memory, because you won’t need it.

Lastly, we set down a foundation from which to build your compassion from.

Today, let us look at how to live in reality (see The Past Sure is Tense). And as we know, the past is gone, the future is unknowable. So, reality only exists in the present moment.

When you step out of your head, you can live from your heart, living out the plan that God laid out for you before time began. Jehovah has a unique and blessed birthright for you to live right now, ready for you to receive, to rise above your old distorted self:

Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. Col. 3:9, 10. NLT

            Once you connect with God, and are cleansed by the blood of His son, you are free of those layers that were cast upon you by other unconscious people – trapped in their own heads. At the moment you are cleansed, you embody the Truth; and as you do your best to walk in that Certainty, you don’t ever have to tell lies again, to yourself or anyone else.

            You won’t have to lie to protect yourself. You can finally live in the present moment, where your Creator lives. Your life becomes an on-going string of present moments, where all the juice is!

            You are responsible for where your life is, but it was mostly a doing of an unconscious mind. Now, you can begin making conscious choices to live a good life. Don’t regret anything. Everything happened to bring you where you are in this moment.

            For most people, life beckons them with open arms, inviting them to live it. Yet they refuse the opportunity because it doesn’t fit into their matrix of preferences – those that are based upon false meanings. They put their lives on hold, by denying the present moment.

         Life is simple. You are either living in the present moment, or you’re running your fixed mental programs, lost in comparisons, wishing life was something that it’s not. You can tell when you are running from life; it’s when you are entertaining negative thoughts.

            Have compassion for yourself for having experienced that old way of being, and step into living. Wrap your arms around life in the present moment. That’s when God steps in.

            Accept that you have a history, and that it’s gone. Other than any valuable lessons to be learned, that Life Story you concocted is meaningless. When you choose present-moment-living, your past, (and all of the imaginary refuse that you injected into it), will vanish. Then, you won’t have to act it out anymore.

            When you are present, you are in total touch with yourself – aware of how you are being and what you are doing, knowing that you can change those parameters (any blips of unconsciousness), to return to the perfect life God gifted you with. Subsequently, you can be happy at anytime, anywhere, with anyone.  

            You will be engaged with Truth in peace, because you will have a sweet stillness in your head as you listen to the voice of God, who is always there to guide you towards your highest and best life.

            Life hands us events. We will perceive some of them as being painful to experience. We can acknowledge that we are choosing to have that response, as well as, the timeframe that we are dwelling on it. It behooves us to see if we contributed to that event, trash the meanings that we’ve attached to it, take in the lesson to be learned – and let the rest go.

            Many things in life are unavoidable. That is not fatalistic thinking. It is just acknowledging what is so, what is true. Out of that acknowledgment comes a freedom to love and accept the miraculous place that lives in the only moment there is – your present one…

            You don’t need fixing. Never did. You only smothered yourself with bad habits. Congratulate yourself for choosing to stop. When you are successful, help others to do the same.

            No fixing, but most of us have to change our conversation with ourselves. Speak in terms of ‘I’ rather than ‘you;’ e.g. ‘I am feeling this way,’ instead of ‘You are making me feel this way.’ It shifts the responsibility back upon the shoulders of the one who is constructing these viewpoints, to empower you to see it a different way.

            Change ‘why’ questions into ‘how’ questions; e.g. ‘How is this happening to me,’ instead of ‘Why is this happening to me.’ It is a proactive way to reveal how you create the patterns in your life.

            Tend the garden that is your body. Weed out the negativity. Look for the lesson behind any ‘infirmity.’ It’s generally the result of your self-talk. Health degenerates if you shun your responsibility for nurturing it. Believe that healing is possible. Exercise faith, and miracles will follow. Cultivate a healthy mind by aligning it with your spirit.

“…I am the LORD who heals you.” Ex. 15:26 NKJV

            Focus upon clarifying who you really are, and how to be that, rather than trying to be ‘acceptable.’ Detach yourself from all beliefs that are not loving or supporting you or others.

            Don’t be sucked into the black hole of ‘self-improvement.’ It sustains the darkness when you try to fix yourself – reinforcing erroneous thoughts that say there is something wrong with you. If there is anything wrong in your perfection that needs repair, your Creator will do the repairing.

            Do not be concerned about ‘getting anywhere.’ You’re already there – perfect. Just do your best, with no attachment to the outcome. Give that up to God.

         Growth does not come from ‘needing to grow,’ but from inwardly directed awareness – returning home to Jehovah, through Christ. We grow as a human being in order to have a better world. That growth consists of letting more of God in, letting life in, and surrendering to its Maker rather than getting caught up in some doing.

…everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…I become righteous through faith in Christ…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us. Phil. 3:8, 9, 13, 14. NLT

            We connect with God’s precious present by choosing to reframe the way we look at ourselves and the world around us – knowing that it is only in the present moment where the freedom to love and be loved exists. And we open ourselves up to it, living each day as if it was out last, experiencing each moment as extraordinary, finding joy in every circumstance…

            Goodnight and God bless.