Like many spiritual paths, A Course in Miracles focuses exclusively on the present moment. It says, “This instant is the only time there is.” It does not view time as a continuous line. That means it does not present a reality in which the past needs to affect the future. We live in a miraculous reality. We can be healed and free at any moment, no matter what has happened to us in the past. We are not limited by circumstances that are no longer present. A Course in Miracles tells us that “The past is over. It can touch me not.”
Still, many of us look backwards and feel trapped by regrets, violations, and frustrations. Many of us feel constrained or wounded by what did or did not happen. But we do not have to allow our past to dictate what we can expect from the future. We can start over right now. Of course if we refuse to let go of the pain of the past, we will insure a remarkably similar future.
That’s why A Course in Miracles deals extensively with the topic of forgiveness. It tells us that “all forgiveness is a gift to myself.” Here’s why: We can’t truly trust the Universe in all its gracious powers if we secretly believe something happened to us in the past that wasn’t right. Either we can always trust the Love of Spirit or we never fully trust it.
I am not saying that we never experience difficult things or painful times. But I am saying that in terms of your soul’s growth, nothing was amiss. Everything is here to serve you. Everything provides you with radical opportunities to grow in love.
