Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid...for the Lord thy God, he it is that goes with thee; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.
~Moses, from the OT book of Deuteronomy


Whenever we worry about something in the past or the future,we are setting up our own little haunted house and peopling it with our own special ghosts. Most of us live very little in the present. If we could watch our thoughts, we would be surprised to see how much time we spend in the past or future - or simply daydreaming, out of time altogether. Very seldom can we say we are fully present in the present moment.

Yet now is the only time there is. The present is all we have. If we feel we don't have enough time, the first thing to do is not throw it away. Instead of ceding it to the past and future, we can take steps to give our undivided interest to here and now. Attention flowing to the past is not energy used; it is energy wasted. The same is true of the future: looking forward to things, worrying about what might happen, fantasizing about dreams coming true is energy drained away. When the mind stays in the present, all this vitality comes back to us. ~Easwaran
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The writer of the Hebrews declares that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"...so I can trust Him to manage all the past and the future. He has given me NOW, and all the power of His Spirit to negotiate what is happening in my life today...in this moment. Something that Jesus instructs us to do in the prayer He taught His disciples(us) is to ask The Father/Eternal God/Creator for His forgiveness for our debts/trespasses, as we forgive others our debts or trespasses against us.

This is, in essence: 'grace'(the ability to do His will, as some have defined it)!

To for-give is to offer others grace before we come into contact with them, as we come into contact with them...so that if any offenses come from the interaction, they are already automatically for-given. Grace is given ahead of time...

This way, the present is inoculated from offensive reactions--and from selfish reactions to others, through His Presence and His Grace.

Man, do I need to practice this! Forbearance/patience/for-giveness towards and with others is one of the greatest needs in my interior life(and my exterior behavior)--in dealing with my family, my co-workers, my clients, my brothers and sisters in the church, both my local body of believers at Calvary and the church-universal- and with those who do not know Jesus as Lord.

Jesus taught us this prayer as a practical task...the word "practical" comes from "practice"...so I am to practice/apply this grace giving in the present moment, and pray for the gift of this grace constantly...without ceasing.
Jesus prayed: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do..." Isn't that just another way of looking at it?
May it be so.


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