My Story
Growing up in the evangelical church I always viewed the world through the lens of the rapture. Questions like, "When will Jesus return?", "Will I be raptured to heaven?", "Will my loved ones make it?" and "Who will be left behind?" dominated my thinking. It created in me a fear that I didn't witness in other people.
Back then, the world really served no purpose to me, other than to give me an opportunity to witness to people, warning them to accept Jesus in their heart or miss the chance and suffer through the seven year tribulation and go to Hell for eternity (unless of course you get guillotined as a martyr- then you'd go to Heaven!). I also feared for myself in every moment, that if I didn't ask God to forgive me right then and there of any sins I committed since my last confession that I was in danger of being left behind and could face God's judgment and tribulation as all the other sinners which I distanced myself from. I had no real inner peace. I was led by fear.
As we transitioned into the new millenium, there was constant talk in the media and my circle of family and friends that the world was going to end. My cousin and I found this very exciting. We used to talk about the second coming everyday. We saw the world was going to hell and we put all our attention and focus on the rapture. We anxiously awaited for Jesus' return, mentally and emotionally preparing ourselves so we were stainless in the eyes of God in that very moment of rapture. I remember when the new year hit nothing happened, and quite frankly, we were a little bummed. Maybe it was because our expectations were not met. Maybe it was because we wanted to see what rewards we were going to get in heaven in our attempts to "win souls for Christ". Or maybe it was because we hadn't quite escaped the pain of death.
My grandpa believed he wasn't going to die and was going to be raptured, as have countless Christians before and after him. People lived and people died, many believing they wouldn’t. Yet, the world remained, as it has for 4.5 billion years.
It took many years to free myself from what I came to discover was a fear-driven mindset. It had nothing to do with God and everything to do with saving myself from God's wrath. I see how selfish I was now.
A Shift from Afterlife Living to Present-Moment Living
The concept of an afterlife has been on the human mind since the development of the frontal lobe and saw notable growth with the rise of civilization. As humans, we all desire to live a long life and wonder what will happen after we die. I personally believe there's life after death, although I can't say what that looks like. There are multiple perspectives on the afterlife, many of them based on personal near-death experiences. With so many differing stories it's tough to tell which one is correct. Perhaps they all are. We won't actually know the truth until we die and experience it for ourselves.
This for many Christians is unacceptable. The unknown creates too much anxiety. The unknown brings forth an inner fear that many feel needs to be buried and ignored. The guarantee of an afterlife is an absolute non-negotiable for the majority of Christians, who over a period of 2000 years developed a theology that assured them that the afterlife is guaranteed and going to be way better than the present life, at least for Christians. To them, focusing on heaven was more important than stewarding the world. Mystery was not a value, and in fact was seen as a problem.
Perhaps this is where the problem lies. By focusing primarily on the afterlife one begins to adopt a detached view of this world. According to most Christians, this world is not our real home. This is Satan's world. There’s no need to put much attention here. One can justly say this eschatology is the lead cause of the world's present state. Please reflect on this: if you are wrong about Jesus coming back within your lifetime, and you don’t even attempt to better this world now, your kids, grandkids, and descendants will inherit that same world you neglected. You could have done something about it, but you didn’t. That will be your legacy.
There is a minority of Christians, though, who see the world in a totally different light. To these Christians, Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn the world but to save it through him (John 3:17). Former pastor and author Brian Mclaren once brilliantly said, "The gospel is not an evacuation plan for heaven. It's a transformation plan." Wow!
Jesus didn't come to save us from the inevitable torment from a pissed-off God. (most ancient cultures had this relationship with their gods and goddesses). Jesus presented a radically different view of God.
Jesus was a healer; he restored life.
Jesus was a teacher; he taught the way of Gods love.
Jesus cared for others; he would dine with people seen as inferior.
Jesus was a prophet; he could see the wrongs of the world and the wrongs of religion.
Jesus was a mystic; he had a unique relationship with God that made him a light to many.
Jesus came to transform this world and bring heaven to earth. Jesus brought the world a new divine consciousness (the Holy Spirit) that can be tapped into and experienced at anytime and anyplace, even right here, right now. By embracing this worldview, you will see the world in a totally different light. You will see beauty where others cant. You’ll see God everywhere. The earth does not belong to Satan anymore. It belongs to God.
Franciscan friar Richard Rohr described how many Christians’ worldview starts with Genesis 3: the fall. When a Christian starts viewing the world through the lens of Genesis 1 and 2, however, a different worldview begins to unfold. One starts to see God in all things, in all of creation. One can see the internal fingerprints of God in a bird, in a worm, in a tree, even in a rock. One will begin to see God within not only the joys and good times but also within the sufferings and bad times, perhaps. The world suddenly becomes enchanted. In Genesis 1 God declared the world is good six times, and in verse 31 God declared "it was very good". Everything in the Garden of Eden was acceptable. Subsequently in chapter 2, God made the seventh day a day of rest and appreciation of His creation. Every time we stand in awe of the beauty of world we are resting in the Sabbath, appreciating the world as God does. Then man was created to steward God's "good" earth.
This world is a physical expression of God, every animal, plant, fungus, and non-living thing. So much diversity, so much beauty! Even in us humans, where the divine spark is most often suppressed, there is abundant beauty. Theres beauty at the core of your being. Theres beauty in your differences. There's beauty in the diversity of human expression. There's beauty in the diversity of religions, appearances, and cultures. There's no two humans that are the same. There will never be another YOU. How magnificant is that?
Then comes Genesis 3. As the story goes, the serpent manipulated man to see himself as higher than all things, including God, and as a result sin entered the world. The fall was a result of man's pride, believing his intelligence, his beliefs, his emotions, and his life was above all else. The root cause of all sin is man's pride, not his nature. As man's pride took over his consciousness, man lost touch with his Creator and His creation, and in essence, lost touch with the divine spark that was within himself. Pride became the mask, and the ego the identity. Man fell further from God when man decided God was found in temples and books; man lost the ability to see God in all things.
Pride is the sin that leads to all other sins. As C.S. Lewis states in Mere Christianity, "Pride is the complete anti-God state of mind." Pride arises out of the human ego, the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs which form a person's identity. Once a person begins to see themselves as this identity, they lose touch with their divine nature. They lose touch with creation. They lose touch with God. And as living and breathing humans, pride continues to bang on the door of our consciousness.
But pride can be checked. How? By living presently. By focusing on the present moment, no longer are your thoughts, emotions and beliefs in the drivers seat. Your consciousness is, and God is much closer to you than you realize. Conscious-awareness is the doorway to a major transformation.
Seven Personal Benefits of a Shift to Present-Moment Living
By shifting your focus to the present moment, several benefits will begin to emerge in your life as they did mine:
1. If you live presently, you will value the earth and all
its inhabitants.
We are extremely blessed to live here. So far, earth is the only verified planet that has life. All life is here for a segment of time, to live, to breath, to express, to create. There's so much diversity of life on this planet! By being present, we return to God's original intention of the Sabbath. We appreciate all life on this earth wherever and whenever we can. By being present, we are also called to better take care of this earth.
2. If you live presently, you will create deeper and more
meaningful relationships.
As a father, I absolutely love to spend time with my two daughters. However, I often find my mind wandering elsewhere or I’m multitasking and my attention is off the girls. They can sense this, and they’ll then try to get my attention another way: by being naughty. Every single time! These moments make me immediately realize I’m not being present with the girls. What a difference presence makes. With presence you start to value every moment you have with your loved ones. By being present you're free to love them and accept them for exactly who they are, not for who you think they should be.
3. If you live presently, past pain and future anxiety disappear.
This one I came to experience myself after four long months of depression. I tried everything to relieve my suffering but nothing worked. Then one day I decided to focus consciously on my step. As I took a single step I focused merely on that step, nothing else. When I did this all the grey that I was living day to day disappeared momentarily, the most relief I had in months. I continued to take a few more steps and again my depression lifted briefly. Over time my focus on the present moment grew, and my depression went away.
4. If you live presently, you will manifest the fruits of the Spirit.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) can all be experienced right here, right now. You don’t have to wait to experience the fruits in the afterlife. Experience them now by being present. Experiment for yourself. Your life will cease to bring forth the Spirit’s fruit if you put change into the future.
5. If you live presently, you will experience healing.
My great-grandma Anna was known as a healer. There were many stories I heard growing up of when she prayed over someone or some animal, a healing miracle took place. One time Anna had a cow that got a potato caught in its throat, eventually losing oxygen and falling over onto the ground. Anna went over to the cow and prayed, "By the name of Jesus, potato go down!" The potato went down, the cow got back up, and went off grazing. How did this happen? Anna declared in the moment. She didn't say, "God, if you can heal my cow, I would really appreciate that." She didn't say, "Well, the cow had it coming. She should've chewed her food better!" No! She declared in that very moment. By being present then and there, God was able to use her to heal. Presence has this awesome authority.
6. If you live presently, your life calling is clearer and you can see it being fulfilled moment by moment.
Ecclesiates 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
You weren't put here on this earth to waste your life away and just go to Heaven. You have a unique calling. You weren't put here to be like everybody else, to think like everybody else, to feel like everybody else, to believe like everybody else. You are a unique creation of God, full of strengths, passions, dreams, ideas, and insights that are directly tied to your calling, a sort of hardwiring from the direct hand of God. Embrace it with all your might! Not only will you be aligned with your truest nature; others will reap the benefits as well. You are a necessary part of the "Body” of God.
7. If you live presently, you will discover God.
God cannot be put in a box. God is not bounded by thought, belief or written word. All fall short of describing God. God is not bounded by space or time, and God doesn't need space or time to be experienced. The present moment transcends both space and time. The present moment is, just as God Is. When Moses asked God in the burning bush who was speaking (Exodus 3), God replied, "I Am that I Am." God didn't say "I was” or “I will be." We use the word presence for a reason when describing the Spirit of God. You don't have to wait for the afterlife to experience God. You can experience God here and now.
Conclusion
All of us have lost loved ones and want to see them again someday. I believe we will. Perhaps they're even amongst us in some mysterious way. Regardless, this shouldn’t take from your present life.
You can believe in an afterlife and not be driven by it. You can be prepared for Jesus' return (literal or symbolic) and still live presently every day, every hour, every minute, every second. We must be prepared for anything and ready to adjust in every given moment, but never should we be driven by fear. That is not the consciousness of God. Love is. You don’t have to wait to go to heaven to experience God’s Love. You can experience Love HERE AND NOW.
Contemplation: I describe "contemplation" as a way to become aware of God right here and right now. It doesn't matter where you are. You can get started anywhere!
In Hebrew, the word "ruach" means breath, wind or life force and the Greek equivalent "pneuma" means breath or spirit. Essentially, spirit and breath are the same thing, according to Biblical Hebrew and Greek. When God breathed into Adam He gave him His Spirit. As
you give your last breath, you give your spirit back to God.
Focus on your breath. Do this for 5 minutes. If your mind starts to wander (and it will), bring your focus back to your breath. This is your spirit. This is your connection to God. This is where the Holy Spirit dwells. This is where revelation happens. Expand and start to see the outside world, and if you decide to move, focus on every action you do in the moment, whether it's taking a step, brushing your teeth, or petting an animal. Do this everyday, whenever you can. As your practice grows, so will your awareness. As your awareness grows, the benefits will reveal themselves in your life.
Reflection Questions:
1. What benefits am I gaining by focusing on the afterlife?
2. How can I get these
same benefits while living presently?
3. What benefits
could there be if I shift my focus to the present moment?
4. How can I be more
present in my life?
Quotes:
“Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.”
Wayne Dyer
“Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find
eternity in each moment.”
Henry David Thoreau
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past; if you are anxious, you are living in the future; if you are at peace, you are living in the present.”
Lao Tzu
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in tne moment, live in the breath.”
Amit Ray
“Do not dwell on the past; do not dream of the future; concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Buddha
“Eternity belongs to those who live in the present.”
Ludwig
Wittgenstein
“The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is.”
Eckhart
Tolle
“The great science to live happily is to to live in the present.”
Pythagoras
“Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present.”
Thomas Monson
“That is why those who are not capable of being there in the present moment, they don’t really live their life- they live like dead people.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
Omar Khayyam
“If you think your afterlife will be better than your current life, you’re not really living. You’re just waiting to die.”
Unknown
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:34
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