The Sacred Gift of Now: Surrendering to God's Present Grace

By John C. Preiss

In the rush of modern life, we are called to embrace a profound truth: God meets us not in our worries about tomorrow or regrets about yesterday, but in the sacred gift of the present moment. By cultivating awareness of God's presence in the now and surrendering control to Divine Providence, we can find freedom from the anxiety that so often plagues our hearts.

The 18th-century French Jesuit Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade called this practice "the sacrament of the present moment". Similarly, Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century monk, demonstrated how ordinary tasks like washing dishes could become opportunities for communion with God. These spiritual masters understood that God's grace is most accessible when we ground ourselves in the now.

When we allow our minds to race with projected worries or past regrets, we miss the reality that God is with us right here, right now. As St. Teresa of Ávila wisely noted, "The Lord walks among the pots and pans". In other words, God's presence permeates even the most mundane aspects of our daily lives—if only we have eyes to see.

Christian mindfulness—defined simply as "non-judgmental awareness of the present moment"—invites us to stop rushing through tasks just to check them off our to-do lists. Instead, we can transform routine activities into moments of awareness and gratitude for God's constant presence. This practice creates space for surrender, allowing us to release our grip on the illusion of control and place our trust in God's loving care.

The present moment is uniquely sacred because it's where we can encounter the eternal God within our time-bound existence. Brother Lawrence called it "the sacrament of the present moment" because it's where an experience of God, who exists beyond time, becomes possible for us. When we focus on the now, we step into the reality of where God exists.

This surrender to Divine Providence frees us from anxiety's grip. By acknowledging that God holds our future, we can release the burden of worry. We recognize that while we cannot control tomorrow, we can trust the One who already holds it in His hands. This trust isn't passive resignation but active faith—a confident surrender to a loving Father who promises that all things work together for good for those who love Him.

In practicing present-moment awareness, we discover not just relief from anxiety but a deeper relationship with God, who waits to meet us in the eternal now.