Removing Fear Brings Freedom

I was looking forward to enjoying an evening concert when, as I entered the hall, an elderly lady directly in front of me tripped and fell.  My heart went out to her and I felt called to action.  What should I do?  I leaned down and, taking her by the hand, looked her in the eyes and said firmly, "You are all right!".  Immediately, the fear in her face vanished and she let me help her to her feet.  Her friends then surrounded her and I didn't speak to her again until intermission when she came up to me and thanked me for my help.

What had taken place here?  My words "You are all right", weren't a glib statement, but based on my certainty that God is always embracing everyone in His care.  My quick actions of leaning down, taking her hand, looking her in the eye and speaking to her couldn't by themselves change the situation, but because they were inspired by God, who is Love, they had an immediate healing influence.  Mary Baker Eddy, a spiritual pioneer and Christian healer, explained the power of Love-impelled action in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  She wrote:

"Always begin your treatment by allaying the fear of patients.  Silently reassure them as to their exemption from disease and danger.  Watch the result of this simple rule of Christian Science and you will find that it alleviates the symptoms of every disease.  If you succeed in wholly removing the fear, your patient is healed."

You can learn more about what Eddy learned about Christian healing from her book.  Read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from Amazon or any major book retailer.  It is also available for sale or study at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Divine Love's Control Over Wildlife

Are you going hiking or camping in the great outdoors this summer?  If this is the case, you're probably giving some thought to what to take to handle the wild critters you may encounter on your adventure - insect repellent, snake bite kit, even bear spray!

I spend a lot of time outdoors every year and one thing that I always take with me for wildlife encounters is this idea from the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy:

"Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions' den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless.  All of God's creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible.  A realization of this grand verity was a source of strength to the ancient worthies.  It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor to emulate the example of Jesus."

This statement was a source of reassurance to me one summer when I was doing geology work in Wyoming.  I had heard that ticks were common in the area and that they were carriers of disease.  My very first day in the field I encountered a lot of ticks.  They appeared to be everywhere!

At lunch time, I did some prayerful thinking about the above statement and reviewed my understanding of the control which Love held over all.  The word "Love", when capitalized by Eddy, is one of the names she uses for God.  I had learned a great deal about Love's control from reading Eddy's book.  With the assurance that God's creatures are harmless, my fear departed.  Because of my new found love for these little creatures of God, I decided to try not to harm them.

Interestingly, for the remaining three weeks that I was working in that area, I found only two ticks on me and they had not bitten me, but were simply walking around.  I can't prove that this was the result of my "understanding the control which Love held over all", but I can say that understanding this control relieved my concerns and gave me the freedom to enjoy many wildlife encounters, not just on this trip, but ever after.

You can read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from Amazon or any major book retailer.  It is also available for sale or study at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.