Living in the now

I had been praying for some time about an ache in my shinbones. During this time I phoned a Christian Science practitioner for metaphysical help with this and other problems. One day I complained to her that I was missing things that had previously been in my life, such as my children, friends, activities, and different places I had lived.

The practitioner pointed out that clinging to the past is human emotionalism that would weigh us down. We live in the now, she said. We don’t negate the good we have previously enjoyed, but we can’t let nostalgia color our present with a sense of loss. She emphasized that man (a term that includes every individual) is the complete and entirely spiritual reflection of God, and that this reflection is going on right now.

Not long afterward, I read that the word “nostalgia” has roots in Greek words that include meanings such as homecoming and pain. At one time it was associated with acute homesickness. When I read that, the constant throbbing in my legs stopped immediately. This prompted me to explore further the concept of homesickness.

The Bible tells us that after their escape from slavery under the Egyptians, the Israelites grew tired of the manna that was sustaining them in their long journey through the wilderness and longed for the relative comforts of their time in Egypt: “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes” (Numbers 11:5, 6).

A Bible website called The King’s English says of that passage, “In the wilderness years the Israelites would often look back with rose-tinted glasses. ... They looked on the past as their green salad days. But now ... they see only desert and scarcity.”

This made me ask myself if I was like the Israelites, homesick with longing for my former life. I realized that my reminiscing and yearning for what was past had blinded me to God’s abundant good in the present, and that this had been detrimental to my health and well-being.

Then I turned to my hymnal and opened to a hymn that begins, “Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee” (P. M., “Christian Science Hymnal,” No. 278). As soon as I read that line, I was comforted and knew that I was in my right place, right now, and that God was with me.

Another hymn, by John Greenleaf Whittier, includes these lines: “For all of good the past hath had / Remains to make our own time glad” (Hymnal, No. 238). We can never be separated from good, because, as Christ Jesus taught, we are in the kingdom of heaven, now and forever.

This experience took place several years ago, and I’ve had no pain in my legs since then. But more important, the restless spirit I had for so long is gone. I’m happily settled in my community and no longer think that the grass is greener somewhere else. I visit family members and communicate with them regularly. I also have a fresh sense of purpose in my practice of Christian Science.

If we’re getting caught up in living in the past or always anticipating and pushing toward the future, we can hold to the spiritual truth that our reflection of God, Spirit, is immediate, at this very moment, and includes no yesterdays or tomorrows. Reflection is now – and because God is infinitely good and gracious, we can rest assured that we can’t miss out on anything good and that our needs will always be met.

Adapted from an article published in the Feb. 20, 2023, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.