By Eric Butterworth
Amid the repetition of “Happy New Year” greetings, the fact is that
the new year will bring little that is different, unless the person is different.
A year is not a passing phenomenon—it is not a matter of past, present
and future. Although there is always the hope that in the new year everything
will change, the truth of universal law is that we are “transformed by
the renewing of our minds.”
We are always living in time, but we are not of it. We live in eternity. We
experience life, however, on various levels of consciousness. When we get the
awareness of the Eternity dimension, then there is no time in spirit. When we
make that contact in consciousness, then we truly live in eternity. The one
word that sums up our relationship with eternity is “now.” When we
live in the consciousness of now, we are freed from the limitations of time.
All eternity exists in “one moment in time.” In this moment—the
“now” moment—exists all healing, all intelligence, and all divine
guidance. The segment of eternity that we are naming New Year 2003 is not of
itself new. The year can only be new for you if you are receptive to a new depth
and perception of truth, if you dream new dreams, and if you participate fully
with creative law. Every moment is a moment of creation, and each creation is
a new coming together of creative energy. The words, “Behold, I make all
things new,” is the divine intent reverberating in us and as us. Cooperating
with the creative flow is the ultimate experience of renewal. When you live
in harmony with this flow, each day becomes an adventure of discovering ever
new depths of spirit within. Thus, the finest blessing for the new year is not
“Happy New Year,” but “Happy New You!” This is the only
salutation that makes any sense and that reveals your relationship to the new
year.
You may wonder, “What does the future hold for me?” “The future,”
however, is an illusion; it is something that everyone reaches at the rate of
60 minutes per hour. It is not some fate-destined package of experiences or
a grab-bag of time in which you hope you will be lucky enough to draw some great
good into your life. Again, the character of your future will depend chiefly
upon the character of your thoughts right now—and in all the infinity of
“nows” along life’s way.
It has been said, “Time flies, but we are the pilot.” As we choose
to live creatively in the now moment, time becomes a continual journey of growth
and unfolding. When we become “now”-centered, the new year becomes
the “now year.”
In the Bible passage of 2nd Peter 3:8, we are given a great insight into the
truth about time. “[W]ith the Lord, one day is a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day.” The most precious time is not a date on a calendar
but a divine appointment kept with the soul.
Let each of us—and all of us—keep our divine appointments, understanding
and living with the energy of “one moment in time.” Let a new you
greet every day.
Guest columnist Eric Butterworth is an inspiring spiritual leader, a teacher
of metaphysics and a prolific writer/lecturer. He is author of Discover the
Power Within You and numerous other texts. He currently is senior minister at
The Unity Center of New York City, where he has served for over 40 years. Butterworth
is often asked when he is going to retire, and his response has been: “Retirement
is for going backwards, and life is only lived forward.” You can learn
more about his philosophy and teachings at ericbutterworth.com.
© Copyright 2002 Today's Chiropractic