Living Consciously continued...

So how do we live in the present moment with Christ? How do we become like a child in this way, one day at a time? We begin by sacrificing the things that are distancing ourselves from this space in time.

Right now. Where are your thoughts? Are you being present in the space where you are reading this? Or are you dwelling on some painful news your received last week? Are you worrying about the never-ending to-do list for the coming week? Rarely does pain exist in the present moment. When a traumatizing event occurs in life it’s maybe a few seconds, to a few minutes long. Yes, it’s absolutely necessary to process and feel those things, and allow the Atonement to work, but how often do we let that 5 minute phone call with an angry family member stain the other 23 hours and 55 minutes of our precious day?

It has been said that on average every adult makes about 35,000 choices every single day. Many of those are conscious decisions but many are subconscious or automated, based on your conditioning and habits formed over your entire lifespan. You have 35,000 opportunities to decide to make the most out of the present moment. 35,000 times to set the standard for your life as a disciple of Christ. 35,000 choices every single day that will determine who you will become as you walk your individual path of eternal life. Never has Joshua’s admonition to “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” been more vital. 35,000 times a day you are choosing who you will serve.

The present moment is where life is actually lived. When the scriptures say that at the last day there will be “weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth” that won’t just be the unrepentant sinners, it will be all people who look back and realize “dang, I didn’t LIVE!” We know that the same spirit that possesses our body now will possess it in the eternities. I often get stuck in thinking “if only Christ could come already THEN I would be happy” but if I am not happy now then I don’t think Christ coming is going to change much. Yes, it would be great to have Him physically here again, but I would still have to learn how to manage my emotions. We tend to think that eternal life is something that will happen a long time from now, however, it’s eternal LIFE. And life is happening right now.

Also, it’s literally called the last day because it will be a day. A normal day lived, yet it will be the last one as we know it.

We can choose to surrender the past and future and focus on what we can control right now. And right now, at this very second, life is ok. Life is good.

Begin by making small conscious choices. Consciously choose to eat that apple. Consciously choose to feel the sun on your skin. Consciously choose to smile at a stranger. Consciously choose to read the scriptures. Consciously choose to fill your lungs with a cool breath of life. Consciously choose to exist in the present moment with your Savior. For He is here. And so are you.

Tell your deepest self that you are here now. Tell your deepest self that you are present and willing to listen to all of the ways you wish to live closer to Christ. Breathe there for a moment enjoying the company of yourself and your Savior. Enjoy the light within you. Feel how nourishing it is to stop running away from the present moment. Feel the simplicity in choosing to be here now. Your soul’s requests hold your greatest wealth. Your greatest life. Your very dreams. What is worth more than that recognition? What is worth more than the gift of presence in your life?

Those who live the fullest we often look to with a sort of envy. A type of jealousy, for we long to have the same courage to follow our souls call to presence. From where they stand life is bounding forth in vivid colors and different flavors. It is calling to us and calling our souls to come closer to our Savior. Showing us the vibrancy we too can live from, but only once we bow down to this moment being the most important moment in our life. Only once we consciously choose that one thought of the thousands to be one that connects us to ourselves and to God. This call to presence. This call to live on day at a time is not one to be taken lightly. Living in the present moment is a gift to your soul that is always there to give. And it’s ready to take you to the land of dreams manifest. It’s ready to take you to your Savior’s feet.

If you had one more day to live I hope that not much would change from how you are currently living.

The word sacrifice comes from the latin words “sacer” which means “to make,” so in other words the key to making your day sacred is to live consciously in every second.

And I testify that nothing makes life more satisfying than living each moment in Christ consciousness. I love how much LIFE FORCE the gospel brings me. We have been given the breath of LIFE. We celebrate the LIVING Christ. We have a LIVING prophet. The Atonement restores us to LIFE.

WAHE GURU.