Eternal Now

JANE W. MC KEE

When the centurion appealed to him in the interest of a sick servant, Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." And immediately he healed him. With Jesus, the present was always the right time to heal. He lived in the ever-presence of God's allness, wherein all capacity, opportunity, ability, and truth exist. Therefore, he did not put off for another day what presented itself to him to be handled.

Jesus met every fresh day with the realization that God's work was done, and that this fact needed only to be proved. Each day unfolded opportunities to be about his Father's business of reflecting the completeness and perfection of God. When, on the Sabbath day, he took the man sick of dropsy and healed him and let him go, the work was done. Now, to him, was always the time accepted. All of good is always available, and now is the time to prove it. Man lives now, and eternally.

In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" we read (p. 41), "Why should any one postpone his legitimate joy, and disregard his lawful inheritance, which is 'incorruptible and undefiled'?" Postponement and lack go hand in hand, because, after consulting the five physical senses, one thinks he lacks time, inspiration, inclination, ability, desire, courage, supply. He resorts to postponement, when he should turn to omni-good now and at once reverse the sense of lack. If our day seems too full, too hurried, too burdened, rather than resort to postponement as a remedial agent, let us examine the situation. We may find that human sense, false responsibility, pride, and self-will have imposed their demands on our attention. When the things they suggest are erased from our thought, our day holds abundant opportunity to glorify Him in serenity and harmony.

Is good not reaching you today? Does it appear that erring force is postponing the entrance of good into your day? Then ask yourself, "What good thing have I postponed doing today?" Do it, and watch the floodgates of opportunity open to you! Face and heal the impatient thought now; the irritation, now; the fear, doubt, pain, lack, resentment, now! "There is no excellence without labor; and the time to work, is now," says our revered Leader (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 340).

Now and good are partners. All good operates now. Now includes no past or future. God is—that is enough. Is there a shadow on your path obscuring the way, frightening, changing, intensifying the seeming gloom? Then, examine the shadow. Is it not the shadow of the human sense of self? When we face the light, the shadow lies behind us, the path before us is bright, the way open.

We may learn much from simply entering a darkened room and turning on the light. It takes no time for the darkness to leave. It is gone now. No struggle ensues between the light and the dark, no pain, no noise, no pressure; and no scars or marks are left behind, showing where the darkness had formerly been. Darkness is without source, whereas light always emanates from its source. So, if we are diligent to keep spiritual light always in our consciousness, there can be no belief in mental darkness.

God, good, is with us now. When we turn to God, in a given situation, we reflect the wisdom, inspiration, and moral courage to meet it. Now is man God's reflection, image, idea, precious child. Error suggests postponing our study, our handling of error, or taking our forward step in spiritual progress, until the week end, until we are alone, until the weather is cooler, the company has left, or we feel more in the mood. If we forego the opportunity of meeting and handling the suggestion of error—animal magnetism—now, we are virtually admitting that it is real, that it will necessitate taking time to meet it, and so on, and thus, out of nothing, we build a case for error. "Error is a coward before Truth" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 368). We can know the truth now, and the coward will slink away into nothingness. We must beware of holding error in our thought, thus postponing its eradication.

Now is the time to heal and be healed. Now is the time to become spiritually active, to express joy, gratitude, and forgiveness. To the thought that abides in the truth there is no delay in the appearing of good in experience. To the ever-present Christ, Truth, there is no chronic error. "Chronic" implies the element of time. A careful perusal of the definition of "time" in Science and Health (p. 595) clearly shows that lack, doubt, disease, sin, death, are elements of time, not of the eternal now. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God."

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"Songs of deliverance"

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