Just One Instant

How long is one instant? This question doesn't really make sense, does it? But it is fun, and lets our minds stop for a moment. It is a good question for which we don't have an answer right away.

This instant is the only time there is. You don't have any other instant. The past is over, the future not there. You can think about the past, or anticipate the future, but that is all. You cannot be in any other instant than this one, right here and now. So, how long is an instant? That is all you have. That is how long this world lasts. It is only an instant. And either you hate this, or you love it, because it is your freedom.



The one who hates it, believes in this world of separation and death, and wants it so. He loves the things of this world. He values being a body that can be gratified by the pains and pleasures here. He plans and organizes for a future reference in oder to bring about what he thinks will make him happy, even if it means that others will suffer, be it because of or not because of the direct effect of his selfish actions. Yet, if this world endures only an instant, it is very clear "that death and sorrow are the certain lot of all who come here, for their joys are gone before they are possessed, or even grasped." (A Course In Miracles, Lesson 300)

The one who loves it, uses this thought to teach himself not to hold on to anything. Not a thing, not a thought. Not an emotion, not an experience. With this idea in mind he is protected from letting any false perception keep him in its hold, "nor represent more than a passing cloud upon a sky eternally serene." (A Course In Miracles, Lesson 300)

It is this serenity we seek today. We want it unclouded, obvious and sure. And it is ours by simply applying the idea that this instant is the only time there is. We don't have to know or believe this idea to be true. We just have to be willing to try it. To try it without making any exception. No matter what we may feel or experience, no matter where we may find ourselves, be it pleasant or unpleasant, only an instant does this world endure. There can be no compromise involved for it to be true. It is either totally true, or not at all. Therefore, we have to use it indiscriminately.

So, we watch our thoughts, because that is all we have to do. It is training of our minds that we need. Obviously we can have only one thought in this instant. It doesn't matter what thought, if it is only this instant that we can have it. Nothing can stop us from letting go of the thought we have in this moment, when we truly draw our circle with the idea that this instant is the only time there is. Why? We begin to laugh at the meaninglessness, at the littleness of what we may think. We can ask ourselves, "is this the thought with which I want to spend my one instant in this world?" Is there any worldly thought that wouldn't instantly become absolutely ridiculous? And see how much value and meaning we give our thoughts on a daily, on a moment-to-moment basis.

We tell ourselves the most horrendous and cruel stories with our thoughts. We indulge in them, because they give us an identity. We tell ourselves stories of sickness and death. That we are having cancer or Alzheimer's disease, or blablablabla... You name it. Or, that people die, are tortured and murdered while we stay alive. Or that the environment is damaged and irreversibly destructed by our irresponsible acts. And we fear and defend ourselves, because we think the same will happen to us. We believe our stories of loss to be true and telling us about reality. We never really question the reality of this world where there is no certainty, no matter how hard we try to establish it.



And aren't we justified in it? We were justified in all of this, until one man came along, and stood up to the truth that there is no such thing as this world. That there is no death. That there is no reason for this world. That God is love, and still love. That there is no better use for our time being here than to seek the Kingdom of God. He taught us to trust, to have faith, to believe in God, and in him or the very works he did. He taught us to forgive and love our enemies, our neighbors. He taught us not to judge, but do unto others what we would have them do to us. He knew we would not understand it right away. He knew we misunderstood most of his ideas, and used his teachings to justify our agendas. Yet, he kept going. He made no compromise to fit his ideas into our world. Because there is no choice. There is no world, because the Father and the Son are one.

That was yesterday, a week ago, wasn't it? Time is a vast illusion, a trick, a sleight of hand, that we maintain by sequencing our thoughts, one after another, without ever pausing, piling one on top of the other, judging one by another. Yet all we can do is have one thought in this moment. There is nothing else. Thank God, and thank you, Jesus.



How do I want to spend this instant? I'll tell you. I want to remember God, His unceasing never-ending love for me and all His creation. That He gives me everything. And that I share His will. That's it. There is no world. I will what He wills. There is nothing else. Period. And this instant is the only time there is for me to realize all this.

Thy will be done. I love you, Father.