How many of us are torn by our regrets of the past, anxiety for our future, and the thousand and one things that demand our attention daily? How many of us covet relationships and material things that we do not have? How many of us look for salvation and relief in the people we love?
What kind of difference would it make in our lives if we begin to become present to the here and now? If, bit by bit, we learn to pull our hearts and minds from the past and the future, to pause from the compulsions that drive us, and learn to be present to our inner selves?
Even with its ambiguities, unresolved problems and unanswered questions, the present can be transformed into serenity if we cultivate a solitude of the heart. No book, friend, or wiser person can show us the way. This way can only be discovered by desiring it, and then by living it. Only when we have experienced it can we understand why the wisdom of the ages exhort us to find time regularly to center ourselves, to discover our hearts and to reorient ourselves according to the inner compass that guides us whilst living in a world that is easy to lose ourselves in.
The way to be at peace with our past and to have hope for our future is by learning to live in the present. For by living in the present (which is different from living for the present), we are able to be in touch with the whole of our lives and to see what the purpose of our earthly life should be.
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So many things I know but fail to practice. Lord, grant me the strength of will to commit every present moment to You. Help me to become a woman of prayer. Help me to burn with love for Your Holy Word and open my mind and heart so that I may understand it. Amen.
Journey of the Heart 