May 5 – Freedom to Live in the Present Moment
Grace always meets us in the present moment—it’s the only place God can be found. Richard Rohr
Gregg’s Reflection
I’ve noticed that when I’m living under obligation, my mind spends very little time here and now. Obligation pulls me backward into unfinished business, old guilt, or the need to prove myself. Or it pushes me forward into the “what ifs” and “I’d better” scenarios that make my chest tighten. Either way, I miss what God is doing right in front of me.
Henri Nouwen once wrote that “the real enemies of our life are the ‘oughts’ and the ‘ifs.’” I’ve seen that truth in my own journey. Letting go of obligation has been, in many ways, a practice of letting go of time travel—choosing not to dwell in yesterday’s failures or tomorrow’s imagined disasters. When I can receive the present moment without trying to manage it or manipulate it, I find the Spirit’s voice is clearer, my breathing slows, and even the smallest details—light falling on the kitchen table, a bird outside my window—become sacraments.
Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” That’s not an invitation to irresponsibility; it’s a call to trust that God’s presence is enough for now. Freedom grows when we stop letting the past or future rob the present of its gift.
Scripture
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Ancient Quotes
Confine yourself to the present.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, VII.29
Let us not seek out things beyond us, nor overreach ourselves in what is too high for us, but attend to the present with faith.
St. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Christian Mode of Life
Modern Quotes
The real enemies of our life are the ‘oughts’ and the ‘ifs.’ They pull us backward into the unalterable past and forward into the unpredictable future. But real life takes place in the here and the now.
Henri Nouwen, Nouwen Society Daily Devotion, 12/3/21
Grace always meets us in the present moment—it’s the only place God can be found.
Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, p. 99
Journaling Prompts
- Where are you most tempted to live—in the past, the future, or the present?
- What “oughts” or “ifs” are pulling you out of today?
- How might living fully in the present deepen your trust in God?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 18 Reflections: Freedom vs Obligation