"Now (italics mine) is the day of salvation"  - Paul in II Corinthians 6:2b


So, the question: Is there any better time to be living than today, March 9th, 2010, spring 2010, the year 2010, the decade 2010 - 2020?

It seems to me what we believe about that has a huge effect, not only on our own sense of well-being but on what we communicate to our children, grandchildren, etc.

I remember clearly the impact that my father's oldest brother had on me as a young person at a time when the youth were "going bad" - i.e., boys "following" the Beatles by growing long hair, young people rebelling against traditional values, the loosening of sexual standards, etc.  While I'm sure all that did bother him, what I remember is his expressed appreciation of young people and his confidence that "Christ will build His Church" in whatever age we are living.  I remember thinking, "In the eyes of many people, we are "going bad," but he believes in us!"

That stuck and sticks with me, obviously.  What a gift from him!  He seemed to believe that the power of Christ through His Church was able and meant to enter "hell" and redeem it, not live to protect itself from it.  "I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out."  (Matthew 16:18 - The Message)  In other words, no matter what "awful" things are going on, and no matter where we are in history, there is something good going on that is more powerful than anything bad, and we can rest confidently in that, enter into it, and be a part of the powerful force of love.

Yes, we may look back with wistfulness to the days it seemed that life was simpler, that people were more honest, that kids/people were more disciplined, that sex was more sacred, that marriages lasted longer, the air was cleaner, food was more natural, etc., etc.  Those all seem to be good things that are no longer valued as highly as they used to be, to the detriment of society, we fear.

However, loving the past and wishing for the way things were at an earlier time only serves to distract us from seeing what it is about the present that is inviting, challenging, and wonderful.  I often hear a couple who is in trouble say that their desire is to go back to "the way things used to be."  I know that is the honest desire to experience something better in the relationship, but if there is to be any increased satisfaction in the relationship it won't be because they go back to "the way things used to be."  It will be because they learn to accept all that was and is and make choices to embrace the present and be open and receptive to the good in it, in themselves and each other and their world.  In fact the past must be left in order to receive the good in the present.  That is difficult to do but necessary if one is to receive the gift of the present.

So perhaps the now, today, this week, this month, is the best time there ever was because it is the only time in which we can be present.  And wherever we are fully present, that is the best place to be!  One more thought: Did you ever hear of someone of seasoned spiritual maturity complaining about the days in which we live?

"God please remind me when I am tempted to think that there may have been a better time in which to live, that somehow the present is not the best place to be.  Help me to accept that my 'salvation' is now, not yesterday, not tomorrow.  Help me to stay open to Your continual outpouring of grace and freeing truth, and help me to live in the flow of the river that under me right now.  Thanks again.  Amen"


 I work with individuals, couples, and families to identify the ways of life and death in their lives and help uncover the motivation to choose that which leads to life, whether it be through counseling or spiritual direction.  - Sheldon Swartz, MA/LMFT