Thank you, Duffy.
We Are Not Victims
God’s protection is incorruptible
Divine Love encompasses us
Constantly, consistently, without fail
Omnipotence cannot be annihilated
All power is ALL
Love prevails
Love conquers hate
Harmony is reality
Divine Truth is unchangeable by matter or views
Truth is absolute
Every one of us are God’s cherished, loved, precious Children
Today as we work, let’s challenge the temptations to believe the imprints of mortal mind.
Consciousness, not matter, comprises our experience. As students of the Christ Science, we continually recognize that we are responsible for what we think, and for what we accept as our thinking, or consciousness.
It’s so important, then, for us to be always alert as to what we are taking in from world thought that is not conducive to health and harmony. It has, perhaps, never been more important to guard our thought because, if it really had any power, the carnal or mortal mind seems to have many ways to foist its suggestions towards us. Literally every second in some way we are in the position of choosing what we read in unwelcome emails, or advertising, or hear in conversations with others, or or or.
Thoughts not our own present themselves as our own, and we are very apt to take then into thought until we realize, ” Hey, I didn’t think that! I wouldn’t think that way.” Then sometimes it can even be a challenge to remove thoughts not our own from our own thought!
Once, a man who took care of a toucan,- a very large beautiful bird from the wilds of Africa,- in a wildlife sanctuary, told me that this bird only responded to men because the individual who had stolen it from its nest was literally a man. This, he explained, is called imprinting. And is natural to birds in the wild.
However this wrong, unnatural imprinting prevented this bird from living in normal safety and protected environs. It obviously made wrong connections which had a harmful influence. Fortunately it was rescued and lived in a bird sanctuary.
I found this really significant, and drawing from this idea, am reminded to be alert to realize we are not birds! We are able to guard and protect our thoughts! We must be aware how we see and what we accept. We don’t need to imprint, for example, on thoughts that would cause or allow us harm, limitation, worry, or helplessness in any form.
Instead we are taught through Christian Science to be discerning, to weigh our thoughts to determine if they are true, worthy, based on what is real according to God, the one only Mind. Or unworthy.
And to learn to keep our consciousness purely good, in accordance with the level of spiritual understanding that Jesus lived and demonstrated This spiritual understanding Mrs. Eddy identified for us as the Christ consciousness. And it is our real thinking, for as ideas of God, we are one with the same Mind that Christ Jesus expressed in every detail of his life.
We are so blessed to have the immeasurable guidance
of the luminaries in the Bible, and others after them, who have lived and known and felt and recognized, and been influenced by, only the love of God in their lives, even in times of trial.
They give us the courage and the conviction that we need never imprint on thoughts we would not think, false information, fears, or worries. Through our own steady spiritual progress, we discipline consciousness to know we are one with the divine Mind. To the degree that we do this, we are benefited, and our world makes progress toward greater clearer good, not just for ourselves, but for all, everywhere. Our disciplined choices are essential for the world!
And we are assured that we can alertly, and even reverently trust that what is right and good is being shown to us. Then we know we are always safe. Always well. Always clear in thought. Always loved. Every good gift (every good and true and real thought) is from God. Nothing can ever make us believe otherwise.
Dear God, my Father Mother,
For your love I am most grateful.
Father Mother Love, Protect me from thoughts that are not my own.
Your Love does that.
Protect me from believing I can be hurt by others’ unawareness.
Your Truth does that.
Protect me from judging, Another or myself, in ways unneeded or unnecessary.
Your Love does that.
Let me know clearly what I am to understand.
Help me to release what is not mine to hold.
Let me bear no ill will. It helps no one.
Let me love through blindness.
Let me love by reflecting Love.
Let me so love that the world is alight for me with your Love.
That is all I see.
Let me be grateful,
Let me forgive.
Let me love.
Very special!
A Christian Science Perspective -from The Christian Science Monitor
Lois Carlson.
MARCH 24, 2017 —During lunch one day, a woman at a table near me in the cafeteria went on a tirade about another person’s life. It’s hard to eat hot chicken noodle soup fast, so it was hard to avoid listening to the conversation. As I went back to the office, I couldn’t help feeling sad about the negativity I’d heard.
But that night I had tickets to “Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth,” a play that was premièring at a local Chicago theater. As I watched, I glimpsed something that pointed me to an answer to my sadness.
Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth are storytellers who have close friendships with fairy tale characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs, and Jack, who even gave them one of his beans. It is an enchanting play: A tragedy has happened in the land of fairy tale, and the couple has the assignment of restoring order.
At the end of the play, Mrs. P turns to the audience and acknowledges that some of us may have had even worse things happen in our lives and perhaps wish we could rewrite our own stories. But, she suggests, if we can’t do that, we can find the courage to look at the stories of our lives with love. The key to restoring order in fairy tale land had been telling someone else’s story through the lens of love. That wise counsel engaged my heart.
The memory of the ugly words I’d heard in the cafeteria came to mind. It occurred to me that negatively judging someone else can be an echo of not feeling the beauty of our own lives. My sadness melted into a compassionate prayer that we can all love our lives in a way that helps us tell of others’ stories with love.
There are all kinds of things that might make us not love our own life stories: shame, a feeling of loss, missed opportunity, hardship and suffering, even abuse. Those heartaches can distort our view of the lives of others because we don’t see goodness prevailing.
But there is a spiritual basis for loving our lives: the fact that God is Life – in fact, the only Life we have to live. This does not mean this divine Life somehow tolerates evil or uses evil for good. It means that Life is Love itself, entirely good, and expresses us as its beloved spiritual offspring. This spiritual reality enables us to see ourselves as loved – even when we’re going through hard things.
As Christ Jesus showed throughout his healing ministry, recognizing that sin or cruelty does not have the power to disconnect us from God’s love helps heal heartaches and impels reformation. So when unhappy memories seem to overwhelm us, we can know that inharmony is never part of our true, spiritual identity, and we can humbly say, “Thank You, God, for always being with me.”
The promise of this prayer is that we will increasingly stop defining ourselves by the events of human history. Our identity as God’s loved creation remains intact. Even if we don’t see evidence of this at a given time, God’s love is the sustaining power of our lives, inspiring joy and peace.
There is a close and constant relation of God to God’s children, the very expressions of divine goodness. Our true spiritual nature is in harmony with God. We exist to express God, and the intimacy of our oneness with God stays intact no matter how severe the human experience we have suffered.
Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy writes in the book she called “the Christian Science textbook”: “If we were to derive all our conceptions of man from what is seen between the cradle and the grave, happiness and goodness would have no abiding-place in man …” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 244). Earlier in the book she writes: “Life is, always has been, and ever will be independent of matter; for Life is God, and man is the idea of God, not formed materially but spiritually, and not subject to decay and dust” (p. 200).
The ups and downs of our experiences do not have to undermine our conviction of the goodness of God’s blessing on our lives. In fact, they may turn us to a deeper understanding of our spiritual identity as beloved. On this basis, loving our life is natural.
From Jan.
I thought I would send along what we put together for Sunday School. The students and I put the 23rd Psalm into our own words. The Psalm is first, and then my inspiration is in italics.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall no want.
The Lord God takes care of me no matter what.
All of my needs are met.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He prepares lovely places for me. He leads me right to them and I can rest and be happy there.
He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
He restores my heart, my soul, my life (there is no loss). He leads me in the path of virtue, morality, justice, decency, uprightness, honesty, blamelessness – because He made me just like Him.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Even if I walk THROUGH (right past) the sense of death, I won’t be afraid; because God is right there with me (always, ever-present). God will guide and guard me – He constantly takes care of me – He comforts me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
God prepares food and drink and cares for all my needs, even when sometimes it seems my enemies have the upper hand – right then God is caring for me. God has anointed me as His precious child. I am so loved and cherished by God. God gives me so much good that there is so much more than I can ever need or use (abundant supply)..
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
God’s great goodness and kindness and mercy (understanding, generosity, love) will follow me (be always with me) all the days of my life. And I live in God’s house forever!
From Cindy.
Do we expect a particular outcome or are we finding that moving in the right direction is enough? An acquaintance posed that question to me the other day, and I had to stop and think about it. At first I saw nothing wrong with expecting a positive outcome, a finished product. I expect a healing when something presents itself to me.
Then, as I thought more about the question, I began to see the depth to it. If I work and work to get the expected outcome, then I am missing the journey, the sweet step by step growth Spiritward. I reasoned that I didn’t start kindergarten on day one and expect to be fully graduated that day. Now, I am not saying we are not perfect right now as children of the Perfect ONE. But I am saying that our demonstration of that perfection is an unfoldment of good and right ideas. As Mary Baker Eddy states, “Advancing spiritual steps in the teeming universe of Mind lead on to spiritual spheres and exalted beings. Science and Health, p 513.
If I am continually looking for what I expect to be the outcome, I may miss the shift in consciousness, the unfoldment of divine ideas. What I think should be the outcome, may be more a form of outlining than an unfolding and listening to God’s direction. The turning to God, Spirit, leads to the perfect unfoldment.
I love learning from working with horses. For instance, when trying to execute a sidepass (where the horse crosses its feet in the process of stepping sideways) on my horse, I knew I wanted a series of cross steps to the fence. My attempts were stiff and lackluster. I couldn’t seem to communicate correctly. I knew my mare knew how to step sideways, but my horse didn’t understand me. We were getting frustrated. I was focused on the outcome instead of the step by step unfoldment.
Then the thought came to just break down the communication to one small movement at a time. I asked her to tip her nose and recognized/praised her try. I hadn’t noticed her try before! It was there. I shifted slightly and touched her gently with my leg, and she moved sideways. Just a shift and the rest of the movement opened up. We sidepassed easily after that. And all it took was the smallest signal to free us to make the whole movement.
What a lesson that has been! Am I wrapped up in what I think should be, or, am I grateful for the try, the shift in the right direction? When working towards healing, do I recognize the shift, the small opening of consciousness to the Truth? Am I grateful for the try?
Or, am I holding to a specific method/way of things working out? And, perhaps not seeing it? Maybe I need to find another truth to use, or a better article to read, or call the practitioner again? If I’m wandering around (or maybe even wallowing) looking for things outside instead of SEEING the Truth unfolding right there, then I’m not accomplishing the true healing, the recognition of the unfolding opening to the perfect idea.
This concept goes right along with Elisha’s lesson to the widow woman in debt (see II Kings 4:2). He asked her what she had in her house and turned her thought from focusing on what was sure to be the outcome of her sons becoming servants. What was in her house, or consciousness, that was of value, that was the truth? She recognized Elisha as a man of God….that was a start. She shifted then. She shut the door on her old expectations and fears, and saw the man of God as intelligent. She obeyed his commands turned her focus away from the outcome she feared, lost her frustration and anger, and was humbly obedient in finding vessels for her oil. Then she poured out. As she found one thing for which to be grateful, more and more good became evident until she understood that was her substance. Then she was able to sell that substance, or make it real in thought. A shift, a break, in the mesmeric pull of a physical outcome, made the recognition of good unfoldment evident. Her family’s needs were amply met.
After a protracted divorce, my sense of family relations was not where I thought it should be I expected to see family members equally, to be a part of lifestyles and to be visited often. When those expectations were not met, I felt hurt and angry. Didn’t I deserve this?
An alert dear friend told me to “Love what I was doing” which meant to me to love the process of learning more about the family of God and my brothers and sisters everywhere. A shift in thought happened. I found a little oil, a little bit for which to be grateful. I found Love was all around me at work, at the place I volunteer, at church, in the neighborhood, in the stores, on the roads, in the beauty of a birdsong, the glint of the sunshine through a drop of dew, the reflection of the mountains on the lake, the wave of a stranger, the soft cuddle of a cat, the play of a dog, the nuzzle of a horse and so much more.
Being focused on what I thought should be happening, the assumed outcome, I missed the present abundance of good. And that shift in consciousness opened a new world to me. And it is still opening, unfolding, and will continue forever.
We all need to keep shifting and loving what we are doing.
As Mary Baker Eddy says,”The new birth is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love.
“Time may commence, but it cannot complete, the new birth: eternity does this; for progress is the law of infinity.” Miscellaneous Writing, p 15.
So Simple . . . How far reaching are our prayers
By Jane Bartlett Walter
In a large city in Alabama in 1945, some of us “war widows” set up a canteen for officers in one of the city’s hotels. One afternoon a General came in for coffee, music, and perhaps a game of bridge. He was a big man — tall, greying, and full of confidence. The younger officers seemed to gravitate to him, as if drawn by a magnet, for his strength was most compelling.
After a while they drifted off to dance and I got a chance to speak with him. He had a wonderfully direct way of looking at you, an easy sense of humor, and a contagious chuckle. We discussed war, with all its horrors, its rigid discipline, and so on, and I asked him how he had come through it all and still kept his humor and wits about him. Almost shyly he took out a well-worn slip of paper from his uniform pocket and handed it to me. “This,” he said, “has pulled me through quite a few seemingly insurmountable problems.” I read the little poem — almost a prayer — and then reread it. This huge man, leader of many men, lived in war and in peace by these simple words:
I am the place where God shines through,
For He and I are one, not two.
He wants me where, and as I am,
I need not fret, nor fear, nor plan.
If I will be relaxed and free
He’ll carry out his work through me.
Now I could understand his clear, direct gaze, his confident bearing, and the magnetism the junior officers felt when he entered. I never saw the General again, but had I been fighting in a war I should have liked to have had him as my commanding officer.
(From Sunrise magazine, October/November 1999; copyright © 1999
Thanks, Cindy! Perfect perception!
Recently in our Wednesday night service, the readings were about spiritual understanding. One of the citations from the Bible was when Jesus explained to the disciples why he used parables with the masses. He spoke of people seeing but not perceiving of hearing but not understanding… the truth. He said, “This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” Matthew 13:13
A correlative passage from Science and Health, p 34:21, spoke of spiritual dullness and blind belief rather than spiritual understanding of the divine idea.
The readings made me wonder….am I one of the masses…not perceiving but wanting just a physical healing or a fix? Or, am I a disciple, willing to let go of my plan, my agenda, my idea of how things should be? I think I am, perhaps, both at different times.
Then, I wondered, how can I be more steady in my understandinginstead of ping ponging around when challenges arise?
The dictionary included these words for steady:
“Firmly fixed, supported, or balanced, not shaking or movingStable, firm, secure, fast, safe, immovable, unshakable, dependableRegular even, and continuous in development, frequency, or intensityConstant, unchanging, regular, consistent, invariable” Merriam Webster
Wow! These synonyms of steady are exactly where we all are as God’s reflection. We perceive, understand, and demonstrate them now and always. When I’m tempted to feel threatened by something or someone, I can be firmly fixed in recognizing God as my support and balance. Then I don’t shake in my boots or move back and forth in doubt and fear.
If thoughts of anger, loss, criticism crop up, I know we are all safe because we live in immovable, unshakeable, dependable Love. There is no fluctuation in the supply of Mind’s ideas and so we experience constancy and regular, consistent, invariable goodness.
In working with these ideas for a while, life seems to flow. Obstacles melt away, Right ideas and right timing are at hand before a need is known. The effect of letting God control instead of trying to personally control is steadiness.
“By purifying human thought, this state of mind permeates with increased harmony all the minutiae of human affairs. It brings with it wonderful foresight, wisdom, and power; it unselfs the mortal purpose, gives steadiness to resolve, and success to endeavor. Through the accession of spirituality, God, the divine Principle of Christian Science, literally governs the aims, ambition, and acts of the Scientist. The divine ruling gives prudence and energy; it banishes forever all envy, rivalry, evil thinking, evil speaking and acting; and mortal mind, thus purged, obtains peace and power outside of itself.” Miscellaneous Writings. 204:23
Steady is the only way to go!
Eyes wide open, or we can almost miss it. It’s everywhere…and has many different faces….. so much present, selfless…..
….the beautiful orchid from a friend, – a reminder how much mom loved orchids……(now I do too…who knew?)…heacuddles from a kitty…..womderful technology sent by one who knew the need when I didn’t even know there was a need….selfless, loving calls,….. a grammy who cleaned up all the toys to the delight of her 2 year old grandson ……a text saying miss you…. bright porch lights on when coming up the long drive….tea from Thailand (!)……. sweet, tender thank you’s…..kind chatty grocery baggers…..servers who take that extra minute……the phone guy who works after dark to get it working again….the patient workers who guide us around mud slides..(‘course they’re paid…is there every enough money for their kindness?)….the one behind the wheel who flashes his lights to say, go ahead, I’ll wait….the sweetie who bought gold balloons for all the adults to take home….the love email note from a friend, assuring you are loved, …..the let’s go out when there’s nothing inspiring for dinner…….sharing a tangerine…..asking how you’re doing during the storm,…..saying, I’ll be so happy to do that for you…..saying, how bout we do that together…..the phone call that simply says, I love you…..calls that just say hi…..
It’s tiny, it’s big, it’s kind, it’s gentle, it’s life filled up full of so-called little things…..it’s enough. It’s most important. It’s affirming, unselfish, calming…..caring…..
It’s love. It’s divine. It’s what we do and why we’re here.
It’s so golden, such a sunrise. So beautiful. It’s everywhere. See it. Witness it. Enjoy it, and never miss being it. It’s an email that is always signed. “Endless love”
That’s life changin’…. that’s lovin’.
Loving YOU!
With so much concern over current events and circumstances, each day who we are as healers, and how we think and pray is important, even vital. So as I post the following, apologies if it is very direct, but it seems we need to be sure we are not caught up in feeling helpless, or acting or living outside our roles as healers. Please don’t underestimate your role or the effectiveness of the truth you know and have confidence in. And have the trust and patience required to allow healing to be evident.
**********
The world needs what earnest students of Christian Science are able to do, perhaps more now than ever. Mrs. Eddy tells us the importance of our contribution when she writes, “Earth’s actors change earth’s scenes;” (Message to The Mother Church, 1902) We have work to do, prayerful work, that finds God that we claim to understand as All, to be All!
So as always, we make choices in how we think, – about ourselves, another, or our world. A choice based on spiritual discernment would be, “I will think badly of no one.” However, this requires a commitment and a discipline to be willing to see what is really true according to God rather than according to men.
In terms that Christian Scientists understand, we might say, “I will not practice, or be involved in, malpractice.”
(To me mal means bad, with all that includes, the practice of bad thinking, – about myself, another, or the world. What an interference in our life and work that would be if we allowed our thoughts to dwell there.)
Choosing the higher, prayerful, Christ-consciousness road is our commitment to bring healing to any situation through spiritual understanding. It requires the recognition that harsh emotional judgment, condemnation, hatred, deep seated anger ultimately won’t serve any healing purpose. And moreover, by not guarding our thought carefully, such thought allows a mental space detrimental to our own health, well-being, peace, and harmony. Then our effectivenss as healers is compromised.
The Discoverer of this essential-to-the-world Christ Science knew the vital nature of a healing consciousness, and the requirement of purity, spiritual clarity and insight, intelligent discernment, in our individual thoughts and in our lives.
Mary Baker Eddy lived and healed through her spiritualized, God-governed, thought and life. Through her life which was led by her love of God, good, she knew protection and progress followed. Faithful lives trust that.
She assures us that it takes courage to do right, acting and living according to our highest ability in our own lives. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, we read, “It is Christian Science to do right, and nothing short of right-doing has any claim to the name. To talk the right and live the wrong is foolish deceit, doing one’s self the most harm.” (SH 448)
And,
“The wrong done another reacts most heavily against one’s self. Right adjusts the balance sooner or later. Think it ‘easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,’ than for you to benefit yourself by injuring others.” (SH 448)
To my sense, this applies to how we think about others. Would we wish them ill, even regardless of the wrong they had done, or how we perceive their lives? This is not ours to do, nor is it our highest right. Ours is to have the obedience and humility which knows that God, divine Mind, is governing His creation, currently, (presently,) and permanently.
We are assured, “Mankind will be God-governed in proportion as God’s government becomes apparent, the Golden Rule utilized, and the rights of man and the liberty of conscience held sacred. Meanwhile, they who name the name of Christian Science will assist in the holding of crime in check, will aid the ejection of error, will maintain law and order, and will cheerfully await the end — justice and judgment.” (First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellanyy. 222)
Can’t we see how each of the requirements does not point fingers “out there” somewhere; they are the requirements for our own living: God’s government apparent in my life; the Golden Rule lived right here; my recognition that we each live according to our highest right without judgment from another.
Out love for God, and our very deep trust in God’s ability to govern His children, and His universe in justice and harmony, will lead each of us to spiritually discern how to pray for that which concerns us.
Let’s trust this promise and hold steadfastly to our work. Trust God, cheerfully await the right adjustment, and think and live the healing that is required right in our own daily lives.