I’ve spent years hoping that if I kept showing up each morning for Quiet Time—if I prayed enough, reflected enough, and tried to live the four pillars of wholeness I write and teach about in Divine Flow—I’d eventually arrive.
Arrive at some calm inner place where I wouldn’t get knocked off center so easily. A place where I’d move through the day without anxiety, without overthinking, without my mind acting like a browser with thirty-seven tabs open.
I imagined I might become more like Winnie the Pooh.
Pooh seems to move through life with grounded ease. Even when something annoying happens, he just says, “Oh, bother,” and keeps moving. No drama. No spiral. No internal committee meeting.
But if I’m honest, I’m often more like Tigger.
My mind bounces from one thought to another. From one worry to the next. From “What do I need to do today?” to “Did I respond to that text message yesterday?”
I can replay the past, predict the future, and miss the present moment—all before I finish my morning coffee.
Wise Counsel
While working out at the gym with a friend the other day, I asked him, “Do you think it’s possible to live with inner peace most of the time—to go through the day feeling grounded and centered?”
My friend smiled and said, “Yes. It’s called living in the present moment.”
I hit the stop button on the treadmill and turned my head to listen as he continued.
“That sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But it’s not so simple when your mind is racing, your body is tense, and life is pulling you in a hundred directions. The goal isn’t to become some spiritual superhero. It’s much simpler and much harder: to learn how to be here, now, in this moment, in this body, in real life, in real time.”
What Does It Mean to Live in the Present Moment?
To live in the present moment means you’re actually awake to what’s happening in your life.
You’re not mentally rehashing yesterday. Not rehearsing tomorrow. Not having a fake conversation in your head with somebody who isn’t even in the room.
It means noticing what’s happening within you and around you right now.
Your breath. Your feet on the floor. The tightness in your shoulders. The ache in your chest. The peace that may still be there underneath it all.
Most of us live a lot of our lives somewhere else. Our bodies are in one place, but our minds are off running errands in the future or dragging old baggage out of the past.
So, living in the present moment is the gentle practice of coming back.
Not beating yourself up. Not trying harder. Just noticing your mind drifted and returning.
Again. And again. And again.
That’s why they call it practice.
More Than Mindfulness
From a contemplative perspective, being present isn’t just about mindfulness. It’s relational.
It means becoming present to yourself and present to God.
Because God is always here.
God isn’t waiting for you in some future, spiritually upgraded version of yourself. He’s not hiding in your five-year plan. He’s not saying, “Come back when you’ve finally got yourself together.”
God is here. In each moment. In each breath.
Our job is to notice when our minds have wandered off—into yesterday’s regrets, tomorrow’s worries, or some imaginary conversation we’re winning brilliantly in our heads—and gently come back to what is unfolding right now.
The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21).
The kingdom isn’t on the other side of the Milky Way. It isn’t waiting for you at the end of your self-improvement project.
The kingdom of God is within you.
And when we get quiet enough, still enough, and honest enough to return to the present moment, we begin to notice that God is not absent.
God is here.
Not just in church. Not just on retreat. Not just during a moving worship song.
But while standing at the sink. Driving to work. Sitting in the doctor’s office. Lying awake at 3:17 a.m. Folding laundry. Waiting for a return text.
The kingdom of God is within you.
Not just an idea to admire, but a reality to wake up to. A living presence of love you can experience.
The Body Brings Us Back
Part of the challenge is that we’re not just thinking machines.
We are mind, body, and spirit.
But a lot of us live almost entirely from the neck up. We think. Overanalyze. Worry.
The mind is useful. It helps us plan, discern, solve problems, and remember where we left our glasses. But the mind is a terrible place to live full-time.
When we become over-identified with our thoughts, we start living in mental noise. We float above our lives instead of inhabiting them.
That’s why the body matters so much. The body brings us back to what’s real. What’s tangible.
When we return to the body, we stop living in our thoughts. We begin to settle. We soften. We come down out of our heads and back into our lives.
And as we return to the body, we also calm our nervous systems.
We move out of go-go-go mode—where everything feels urgent, tight, and on edge—and into a more restful, settled state. Our bodies begin to realize, in this moment, that we are safe enough to be here.
When our nervous system settles, we become more available to God. We become more whole in mind, body, and spirit. We’re less trapped in stress and reactivity and more open to peace, love, and joy.
And sometimes, in that quieter inner place, we can hear the gentle whispers of God’s love drowned out by all the noise.
In the present moment, we notice our feet on the ground. Our breath moving in and out of our lungs. Our chest rising and falling. The tightness we were carrying. The fatigue we’ve been ignoring. The calm that was there underneath all the noise.
As the mind settles into the body, the spirit opens to receive God’s guidance and love.
Rarely as fireworks.
More often as a gentle steadiness. A warmth. A softening. A sense of being held. A quiet inner knowing:
I am here.
God is here.
The body isn’t a distraction from the spiritual life.
It is one of the front doors.
Why Being Present Is So Hard
So why don’t we live in the present more often?
Because the present moment doesn’t just contain peace. It also contains reality. And reality can be uncomfortable.
When we slow down, we may notice tension. Sadness. Loneliness. Grief. That emotional fog we’ve been outrunning all day with productivity, snacking, and scrolling.
So, we keep searching outside of ourselves for something—anything—to keep our minds occupied.
The mind tries to help. It replays the past so we can learn. It scans for danger so we can stay safe. It tries to control the future, so we won’t get hurt again.
That doesn’t mean something is wrong with us. It means we’re human.
A lot of us were also taught—directly or indirectly—that our value comes from doing. Achieving. Fixing. Helping.
When we stop and simply be, we can feel lazy, unproductive, or even irresponsible.
And beyond that is something even more tender: to be present is to become intimate with God. That kind of closeness can feel vulnerable. Sometimes it’s easier to think about God than to actually be with God.
So, we drift.
Not because we’re failing. Because we’re human.
And every time we notice we’ve drifted and gently return, we practice.
That is the path.
That is the holy work.
Simple Practices for Everyday Living
Because the body is one of the easiest ways back to the present moment, it helps to have simple practices you can use in everyday life.
Not complicated spiritual techniques. Not something that requires a candle, a journal, and forty-five uninterrupted minutes.
Just small ways of coming back. Here are a few practices you can try.
Feel your feet on the ground
Pause and notice your feet. Feel them contacting the floor. Let yourself remember: I am supported. I am here. I don’t have to float away with every thought.
Put a hand on your chest
Place your hand on your chest above your heart. Feel the warmth and pressure of your own hand. Let it remind you: You are here. You don’t need to rush this moment.
Notice your breath
Put your hands on your stomach and feel it rise and fall. Don’t force the breath. Just notice it. Your breath is one of God’s simplest gifts for bringing you back to now.
Push the stress out
When you get agitated, overwhelmed, or full of negative energy, take your hands and gently push that energy down and out toward the ground three or four times.
It may feel a little silly at first. That’s okay. Sometimes healing looks a little strange. The point is to let the body help release what the mind keeps recycling.
Wash your hands
Washing your hands can become prayer. As the water runs over your skin, imagine the mental clutter, frustration, or fear being washed away. Let the water remind you that you don’t have to carry everything.
Here with you, within me
You can also pray a simple mantra: “Here with you, within me.”
“Here with you” reminds you that God is here with you.
“Within me” reminds you that the kingdom of God is within you.
Repeat the words slowly and gently:
Here with you.
Within me.
Here with you.
Within me.
Let the words quiet your mind, soften your body, and draw you back to the truth of this moment:
God is here with you.
The kingdom of God is within you.
Daily Practice
These practices are simple. That’s the beauty of them.
They meet you in real life. In the kitchen. At your desk. In the bathroom at work. Before a hard conversation. After a difficult text. In the parking lot before you walk into an appointment.
During your Quiet Time or meditation time— and in ordinary moments throughout the day—you can return to one of these simple practices to remind yourself that God is within you.
You might feel your feet on the ground.
Place a hand on your chest.
Notice your breathing.
Or slowly pray the mantra, “Here with you, within me.”
Whatever embodied practice you choose, let it bring you back to the present moment.
As you return, notice what it feels like for God to live within you—not far away, but within you.
Let yourself rest in that.
Let yourself soften into that truth.
Let yourself experience the sacred presence already alive within your body, your breath, and your whole being.
In each moment of return, you may begin to notice the quiet love that has been there all along.
Because wherever you go, there you are.
And God is too.
And the kingdom you’ve been searching for may be closer than you think—
already alive within you.
Have a blessed week. And whenever you notice yourself living in the past or rushing into the future, may you gently come back to your body. Let it become a doorway back to this moment, back to peace, and back to the quiet presence of God within you.
Your friend in the flow,
brian
************************
If you’re seeking a gentler start to your mornings—one you can carry with you into your day to find more inner peace—I invite you to join DivineFlow Daily, a free short reflection and quote sent to your inbox each day. In under a minute, it’s meant to help you slow down, breathe, and remember what truly gives life before the noise sets in.
Sign up for divineFlow Daily here.
0 Comments