Being Present and the Gospel

There's an ethereal place for the human soul. A sense, a feeling, we all can connect to. 

Meditation, prayer, yoga, art, music, dance, sports, fights, fishing, hunting or war. Being consumed in a present that you transcend yet inhabit simultaneously. You hear people talk about energy, chakra. All of those things. Surpassing this plane of existence. All of these aspects of 

This idea of transcendence isn't truly a part of western Christian philosophy. The idea of clearing one's mind. Inhabiting the present. It's not something antithetical to the practice of the gospel and doctrine of Jesus Christ. It's just not a part of the culture let alone worship.

That doesn't mean the practice is without merit. 

One aspect of Christianity we don't always discuss is the call to leave behind attachments. To give everything to the Lord. It was the commission asked of the Apostles. It was what was asked of Moses. And it's what is often asked of many of us. Give up riches or wealth, place boundaries or break ties with family and friends. To live a life of devotion to the Lord, to God, is often one of sacrifice. Maybe we don't talk about that enough. We just focus on blessings. The afterlife. And we miss something at times with that. 

Beyond the physical and familial connections of this world is a place of connection and being. A place where the spiritual and physical meet. A place where we can only take our relational connections, our experiences, and our knowledge. 

It's ironic that so much of the focus in our faith and and practice is on the idea of the afterlife. What we're working for. This focus on tomorrow. So much so. That we do lose sight of the now. Or at least I did. I mean for a long time what I was doing now was entirely focused on either obtaining a reward in the afterlife, or in seeking a blessing. I wasn't living life for the sake of it.

Now I do.

It took injury, healing, recovery. Yoga, grounding, meditation, hiking, paddling on water, it brought me somewhere different. Prayer was at first an obligation, then a request for blessings, and for a long while conversations mostly about forgiveness. But taking the time to just experience life, it's become more about gratitude. Do I still fixate on the future, yes. But I'm changing. I'm learning that to every time and action there is a season. It's time to embrace them.

Surrounding yourself with the right people, embracing family and those you love. It makes it easier. You find there is something intangible to connect us. Something we don't always define or discuss spiritually an doctrinally. But the more I live life and find it's there. The more I see indicators of it in my faith and practice. 

Being grounded in life, living presently, realizing I can connect to something higher, I hope it's making me better. We'll see what happens. 

I wish I'd had more of this mindset on my mission. The idea of repentance was the most present aspect of it. Talking to people about baptism, the afterlife, the plan of salvation. It could be off putting. It often was a stumbling block to not connect with people. That's the greatest gift of focusing on the now. The ability to connect more closely. To have a better perspective. 

Maybe as a parent. As a husband. I can live in the now better. Not be entirely focused on the future. Because I know what Christ has done for me. What he can do for them. The joy he gave us isn't only for tomorrow. Peace, happiness, they're for now. Sometimes when we stop living for and seeking the future over everything else.