The "eternal now"

WALTER E. YOUNG

Among the many illuminations of the Scriptures which have come to us through the teachings of Christian Science, none perhaps is more potent for good in human affairs than the spiritual light gained from a metaphysical understanding of Paul's words in his second epistle to the Corinthians, where he says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

The human mind is all too prone to hark back to the past or to look with foreboding into the anticipated future, thereby to its own detriment allowing its attention to be diverted from the all important and only real issue, that of the immediate conscious moment, the "eternal now." The student of Christian Science readily perceives that behind all this fear and mental torment involved in looking back or anxiously peering ahead, is the fundamental mortal belief of time; in fact, it may be said that the whole gamut of mortal experience is indissolubly bound up with and in a large measure is the direct effect of the erroneous belief that time is a fixed, irrevocable law, governing man and the universe by a code of innumerable limitations. Thus it may be learned that time, scientifically defined, is but mortal limitation.

Many a burden has been rolled away from human consciousness when the knowledge of God's ever-presence as available now, even in the midst of the seeming clouds of doubt, despair, sickness, or discouragement, has been grasped and made immediate use of. As we progress in Christian Science we learn more and more that effective work is accomplished in the degree of our ability to reject instantly the suggestions of evil which would assail us, and know without parley or compromise evil's proven unreality. This instant rejection and denial of evil in all its phases of pretense and subtlety, if born of the understanding that the divine consciousness is the only existence there really is or can be, will meet the assertions of evil at the point of extinction, and the "eternal now" of infinite, omnipresent good will be demonstrated.

An experience of the writer while visiting a large European city some years ago may be helpful in showing the desirability of lifting thought quickly and completely out of the belief of time, place, or circumstance, into a consciousness of the "now" of our actual existence as ideas in and of divine Mind. A problem which had seemingly baffled solution, began to assume larger proportions as one day found the writer in the center of a very busy thoroughfare of the city. The difficulties of the situation loomed up so dark in thought, and self-consciousness with all its attendant deceptions appeared so insistent, that dejection and despair threatened to take possession; but right there, at the height of the turmoil within and without, quickly came the inspiration to face the error squarely—to analyze and lay bare its deceptive nature.

Then came the "still small voice" of Truth, which seemed to say clearly and confidently, "You do not exist in all this—your true self, God's likeness, is in the divine consciousness here and now." Instantly there followed a clarity of thought and vision which made it possible to see that the only trouble there could ever be was the wrong thinking which had been allowed to accumulate in consciousness, and which was now seen as utterly unreal and therefore without power to disturb or discourage. The mental chains forged by fear were broken, the burden was lifted and the way made clear for a right solution of the problem, which began to unfold from that hour.

At the same moment there came a spontaneous acknowledgment of gratitude and joy for the knowledge of Christian Science that had made possible such instant freedom and happiness. In the twenty-second chapter of Job we may read this definite promise and assurance: "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee."

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