Man's Unbroken Being

 

I played football in college.  During a scrimmage, I apparently broke my ankle.  I couldn’t walk and my foot was at a ninety-degree angle from its normal position.  Instead of having it set by a medical doctor, I called a Christian Science Practitioner to pray with me for healing.  The practitioner pointed out to me this statement from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by MaryBaker Eddy:

“The divine Science of man is woven into one web of consistency without seam or rent.”

Ten or twenty minutes after speaking with the practitioner, as I quietly contemplated this truth about my spiritual identity, I felt movement in my ankle.  I looked and saw that it had returned to its normal position.  I used crutches to get around for about a week and within two weeks I returned to practice with the team.  After about a month, I continued to play football and not only did I not have any further problems with this ankle, but the ankle was actually stronger than it had ever been before.

You can find healing ideas for yourself in Eddy's book.   Read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online, purchase it from any major book seller, or read, borrow or buy a copy at a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

"All is Infinite Mind and its Infinite Manifestation"

 

After I put my condominium up for sale, an unusually long time passed with little interest shown by buyers.  As a Christian, I was trusting God to direct every aspect of my life, including this sale.  Why wasn’t there any buying activity?  In praying about this, my attention was draw to a statement by Mary Baker Eddy in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  She wrote:

"All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all"

If this is true, I reasoned, then this isn’t a case of a human with a physical structure to sell needing another human to buy it.  Instead, this condominium must be a manifestation or expression of the divine Mind, God.  Because God is perfect good, as an expression of God, the condominium must include qualities of home such as utility, beauty, security.  The divine Mind wouldn’t conceive of an incomplete idea that had no purpose in His creation.  With this new insight, my prayers changed from asking God to send me a seller to confident trust that this condominium was part of a God’s divine plan and that its purpose and ownership would be directed according to God’s design.

Soon, a neighbor called to ask if I would consider renting for a couple of months to his adult son who was starting a new business and needed a place to work from.  I knew this young man and his family and I was delighted to help out.  Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, including a statewide lockdown in response to the Covid pandemic, his two months of occupancy turned into 10 months.  The family was blessed by having the young man nearby when a crisis occurred.  I was blessed by having someone clean and maintain the unit as well as receiving some income to cover expenses.

Just a few weeks after the young man told me that he was ready to move on, I received an offer to purchase the property.  The sale closed two weeks after the young man left.  I am grateful that the property sold and to have been able to provide a temporary home to this young man, but most of all, I am grateful to have this lesson that “All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation”.

"Realizing" the Truth Brings Healing

I was stacking rocks into a pile when I accidently set a rock down hard on my finger.  The sensation of pain was immediate, but so was my response.  I stated to myself emphatically that there was no pain in matter.  

Why did I make such an incredible statement and what did I expect to gain from it?  In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian writer and healer, states that we can heal physical conditions if we: 

"Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being, until the body corresponds to the normal conditions of health and harmony."  

Eddy explains in her book that God creates man as spiritual, not material, and that health and harmony, not pain and injury, are the normal conditions of God's creation. Jesus demonstrated this in his healing ministry and he said that those that believed in his teachings could heal as well.  By "realizing" the truth of man's harmonious condition, I was not merely repeating empty words.  I was consciously understanding and being clearly aware in my thought of man's true God-created condition.  The result was that the pain quickly ceased and my finger was not scarred or dis-colored.

You can find a detailed explanation of Christian healing in Eddy's book.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online, purchased from major booksellers, or read, borrowed or purchased at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane. 

Overcoming Fatigue

I had returned from a bicycle ride and was settling down to read Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  At first, I found it difficult to concentrate on what I was reading because of aching muscles from my hard ride.  But then I came across this arresting paragraph in Eddy's book:

"You say, "Toil fatigues me."  But what is this me?  Is it muscle or mind?  Which is tired and so speaks?  Without mind, could the muscles be tired?  Do the muscles talk, or do you talk for them?  Matter is non-intelligent.  Mortal mind does the false talking, and that which affirms weariness, made that weariness."

Mortal mind is Eddy's term for the human mind - thought which seemingly dwells within a material body and sees and evaluates everything from a mortal perspective of life in matter.  The counter to mortal mind is divine Mind - one of Eddy's descriptive terms for God.  She writes:

"The scientific and permanent remedy for fatigue is to learn the power of Mind [the divine Mind] over the body or any illusion of physical weariness."

The Bible says that God gave man dominion over all the earth.  This certainly includes dominion over muscles and exercise.  I contemplated what thoughts were occupying my consciousness.  Was I conscious of mortal mind's thoughts of fatigue or was I conscious of the divine Mind's message of strength and dominion?  As I pondered this, my muscles ceased aching and I felt strong and fresh the rest of the day.

You can learn more in Eddy's book about how to listen to the divine Mind instead of the mortal mind.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online, purchased from many booksellers, or read, borrowed or purchased from a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Pandemic!  These are frightening times and people are struggling to cope.  How can an individual respond to the Coronavirus pandemic?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer, spiritual thinker and discoverer of Christian Science has a unique explanation for world crises in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  She writes:

“This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. ...”

Breaking up of material beliefs?  The nothingness of pestilence, want and woe?  These assertions might seem fantastic, except for one thing – Eddy proved them by hundreds of healings (See Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer by Yvonne Cache von Fettweis and Robert Warneck) and she was merely following the example of the all-time master-healer Christ Jesus (see The Bible).

So beyond providing practical care for those effected by the virus, what can an individual do in these times of turmoil?  In her book, Eddy advises:

“… those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.”

You can learn more about Christian Science in Eddy’s book.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online, bought at any major bookseller, or read, borrowed or purchased at a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Christmas Presence

The best Christmas present I've ever received? - an awareness of the presence of the Christ!  I injured my knee in a hockey game and for three days after that I lay in bed, unable to move my leg without pain.  During this time I was praying and contemplating the Christ - What was it?  Where was it?  Could it help me?  Would it help me?  I gradually realized that the Christ wasn't some gift given only at a certain time of year or to certain people, but a divine, ever-present power that is always ready and available to bless and heal any of us.  The awareness of this Christ-presence became so clear that the pain in my knee suddenly ceased and I was able to move my leg.  I held to this sense of the Christ-presence and in two weeks I was skating again.  I've never had a problem again with this knee in the many years since.  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian author and healer, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"The wakeful shepherd beholds the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance of a risen day.  So shone the pale star to the prophet-shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to benighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morning beams and shine the guiding star of being."

You can learn more about the Christ-presence in Eddy's book which can be read online, purchased from major booksellers, or read, borrowed or purchased at a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Consciousness Constructs a Better Body

Recently, I was bicycling in the mountains of Colorado.  The very first part of the ride involved a long downhill and then another steep curvy hill.  I became concerned because I would be riding for several hours and I wasn't looking forward to the return ride back up these two hills at the end of the trip.  As I started to appreciate how absolutely beautiful the scenery was on this ride, my thought turned to a statement by the writer and Christian healer, Mary Baker Eddy.  In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she states:

"Consciousness constructs a better body when faith in matter has been conquered."

I began to challenge myself about what was in my consciousness.  Was I thinking that my body was getting older and thus not able to make this return climb?  Was I already concluding that I would be too tired to finish this ride?  What became clear to me was that my fear was based on my thinking that I had this material body that might not be up to the challenge.

As I became more inspired by the beauty around me, I started to think more deeply about another statement in Eddy's book:

"There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter.  All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." 

I felt invigorated by the idea that matter was not the substance of my being.  My consciousness became filled with the presence of God, good, not with fear or anxiousness.  What was totally surprising to me was how easily the end of the bicycle ride was.  In fact, I couldn't believe that I was at the top of the last hill because it had just been an enjoyable, easy climb!

You too can construct a better body by conquering faith in matter!  Read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it at major book sellers.  You can also read, borrow or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado.

Mastery Over Matter

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, a book written by Christian healer, Mary Baker Eddy, contains this remarkable statement:

"In proportion as matter loses to human sense all entity as man, in that proportion does man become its master."

Could this be true?  My experience has convinced me that it is!  To give one example:  One time while camping in the Trinity Alps of California, I was digging a latrine for our campsite and, foolishly, I was wearing only sandals.  In my carelessness, I struck one of my big toes with the spade I was digging with.  As you might think, the pain was extreme and the evidence of injury convincing.  But just previous to this incident, I had been contemplating the above statement by Eddy.  As I turned my thoughts to what Science and Health explains is the real entity of man - spiritual, made in God's image and likeness - the pain and bleeding completely ceased.  I found that I could walk freely and the next day I easily hiked several rugged miles to a beautiful, remote waterfall.

You can find out more about the real entity of man by reading Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  The book can be read online, purchased from major booksellers, or read, borrowed or purchased at a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

God Knows Our Needs Before We Ask

The red flashing light on the pump controller for my home water well appeared to indicate trouble.  I had no idea what the problem was - a jammed impeller?,  a pump failure?, a dry well?  I read the controller manual and searched for information online, but found no real clues.  It was Sunday, so I would have to conserve water and wait until Monday morning to call a repair man.

Happily, I never had to call!  I start each day by communing with God - praying, acknowledging God's wisdom, and feeling God's presence and love.  As I did this early Monday morning, an explanation for the controller light came spontaneously to my thought.  There was no problem - this was part of the normal operation of the system and I understood the reason for it.  Everything was fine.

Such experiences as this may seem insignificant, but to me they are evidence of a fundamental truth about God and our relationship to God.  Mary Baker Eddy explains in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"... God knows our need before we tell Him or our fellow-beings about it."

The key is being receptive to and recognizing what God is telling us.  My quiet morning prayer had accomplished this without my specifically asking God for help!

To learn more about God and how to listen for what God is telling you, read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

The Influence of [Divine] Thought on Actions

We all recognize that thought influences and directs our own and others actions.  Did you know that there is more than human thought at work and that we can turn to for direction?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian writer and healer, explained that there is a divine influence on thought which, when recognized and acknowledged, leads to healing and resolution.  In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she describes this phenomenon as:

"...a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime, 'To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense], And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised.'"  

I experienced this divine influence in thought when I was coaching a middle-school soccer team.  At one practice a player accidentally kicked a teammate and a fight broke out between the two players.  I separated them, telling one to go sit on the bench while I tried to calm the other.  This boy was so angry I had to physically restrain him from going after his teammate.  I gave him the usual coaching talk of how it was an accident and that we had to get along with our teammates, etc, etc.  This did not calm the situation at all.  The player kept struggling and saying “I want to fight him!”

Then, I remembered Eddy's statement about the divine influence ever present in human consciousness.  Simply by acknowledging this influence, I found myself saying to the player, “I know you’re brave enough to fight him.  But I think that you are even braver than that.  I think that you are brave enough to walk over to him, shake his hand, and tell him that you are sorry that this incident occurred.”  At this point, the influence of the divine thought on this boy became apparent as well.  He stopped struggling, looked at me in surprise, and then walked over and did just as I suggested.  The incident was over.

You can learn more about this divine influence on thought in Eddy's book.  Read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it at major booksellers.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Prayerful Protest Brings Healing

We most often think of prayer as a moment of humble listening for guidance or a request for some sort of help.  I was roused the other day with this additional idea of prayer from the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  Its author, Mary Baker Eddy, refers to Jesus’ prayer as “deep and conscientious protests of truth — of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love.” Elsewhere she says to “rise in rebellion” against symptoms of disease and discord rather than submit outright to them. This is a bold sense of prayer but one rooted in God, as all-powerful, all-loving, ever-present. We have authority to claim and assert our spiritual whole, healthy, and pure nature as a result.

This sense of protest became practical to me after a couple of hard falls during a Nordic ski lesson. Although I bounced up after each fall, the next few days I was feeling the aftermath of aches and pains.  I thought about praying as a “protest” rather than just tolerate, cope, or submit to the pain.  From a spiritual point of view, I had a right to feel and experience my God-given spiritual “likeness”.  The aches and pains left as I went forward with this stance.  I saw too, in the process, that this sort of prayer was not merely a naive or hapless denial—or some sort of psychological maneuvering---but rather a realization of spiritual truth and its workings as laid out in Science and Health.

To learn more about how you can protest in prayer, read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

The Evidence of Spiritual Sense

I was recently on a cruise in the Galapagos Islands when my tooth began aching.  The next day it was worse.  This didn't seem to be going well and there was no way to visit a dentist.  What could I do?

I've learned from reading the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, that the evidence presented to us by the material senses (in this case my tooth) can yield to a spiritual sense of God's goodness that is ever at hand.  Eddy writes:

"When the evidence before the material sense yielded to spiritual sense, the apostle declared that nothing could alienate him from God, from the sweet sense and presence of Life and Truth."

I made it a point every time my attention was drawn to my toothache, to counter this evidence of material sense with a spiritual fact that I had learned about God and man from Eddy's book.  Soon the toothache ceased and I had no further problems the rest of the trip.

God's goodness can be discerned and experienced by anyone.  You can develop your spiritual sense of this goodness by reading Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  The book can be read online or purchased from major booksellers.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado.

Responding with Prayer When Help is Needed

I was sitting in an aisle seat on a cross-country plane flight, when the flight attendant knelt beside me and said “We need your help with a medical emergency”.  I almost jumped out of my seat, but then realized the attendant was talking to the person behind me, who apparently was a physician.  The two of them went forward in the plane.  I had no idea of what was happening, but I felt called upon to respond in my own way – with prayer.

How can one pray effectively for others?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

“... be thoroughly persuaded in your own mind concerning the truth which you think or speak, and you will be the victor.”

The thoughts that were coming to me at that moment to pray about were 1) that help was very far away and 2) that life was threatened.  The truths I countered these fears with were 1) that God is a very present help in trouble and 2) that, as the Bible says, God is Life.  God and God’s creation certainly couldn’t be threatened.  I contemplated these ideas until I felt “thoroughly persuaded in my own mind” of their truth and was at peace about the situation.

In the meantime, while I was praying in this way, the plane was making an emergency landing.  When we got to the terminal, I saw the physician and a woman get up from seats about 8 rows in front of me and leave the plane.  Shortly thereafter, the physician returned to his original seat behind me and we took off.

After we were in the air again, the flight attendant returned and asked the physician, “What was the problem?”  “I don’t know”, he replied.  He then explained that when he got to her, the woman was unconscious, not breathing, and had no pulse or blood pressure.  “But then”, he said, “it was like a switch was flipped – she regained consciousness and all her signs were normal!  She will be fine!”

Do you want to add your prayerful support to situations?  Learn and be thoroughly persuaded of spiritual truths from Eddy’s book, Science and Health with key to the Scriptures.  You can read this book online or read, borrow, or purchase this book at any Christian Science Reading Room, including the one in Evergreen, Colorado.

Prayerful Protection from Contagious Disease

There is a lot in the news right now about various contagious diseases and the need to take steps to protect ourselves and our families.  While many choose to protect themselves through vaccinations, eating certain foods, or simply avoiding contact with others, I have found prayer to be an effective defense against contagious disease.  Through prayer alone, I and my family have experienced quick healings of scarlet fever, measles, influenza and instantaneous healings of colds and sore throats, as well as numerous occasions of exposure to contagion with no ill effects whatsoever.

Is prayer a dependable form of protection?  It is if you pray correctly!  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer and author, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

“The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God — a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love."

“But”, you say, “How do I develop an absolute faith in God?”  Is it simply blind faith?  No! - look carefully at Eddy’s statement.  The long dash (also called an Em dash) after “God”, indicates that an amplification or explanation follows.  So an absolute faith in God isn’t a blind faith, it’s a faith based on two things: a spiritual understanding of God and an unselfed love.

You can learn more about a spiritual understanding God and unselfed love in Eddy’s book.  Read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from any major bookseller.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Practicing Self-Forgetfulness Leads to a Harmonious Relationship

Recently, I had to spend three days with a relative that I had had a thorny relationship with. I was concerned about how this time together would come off.  I wanted us all to have a harmonious and happy time.  In preparing for this event, I found guidance and peace in a statement by Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian writer and healer.  In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures she wrote:

"Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers.  Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessings."

I decided to focus on self-forgetfulness - to understand what this meant and to put it into practice.  The human ego can have a hard time "forgetting" itself and putting others first, but from reading Eddy's book I had a higher sense of what it meant to be self-forgetful.  It wasn't about my human ego struggling to be meek in the presence of another human ego.  Self-forgetfulness meant putting aside the whole notion that we are separate mortal individuals with competing egos and goals for the concept that we are spiritual ideas created by the one divine Mind, a.k.a. God and flowing harmoniously together through life like water in a river.

There were a few occasions during the three days that I had to remind myself to be self-forgetful, but each time I did the task became easier and the entire event went smoothly and happily for everyone involved.

Want to learn more about forgetting the mortal self and your real spiritual self?  You can read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from major book sellers.  If you live near Evergreen, Colorado, you can read, borrow, or purchase this book at the Christian Science Reading Room at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Ending Political Deadlock by Acknowledging the One Mind

As the government shutdown over funding for a border wall continues, we might wonder, "Is there is anything that I can do to bring the two sides together?"  Some might suggest calling our political representatives, writing letters to the editor, or joining in protests.  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian writer and healer, suggested a radical idea in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"The exterminator of error is the great truth that God, good, is the only Mind, and that the supposititious opposite of infinite Mind - called devil or evil - is not Mind, is not Truth, but error, without intelligence or reality."

Although this spiritual truth may seem nice, but unrelatable to our human situation, in my experience I found that it is a basis for prayer that yields practical results.  To give one example, I was once on a committee to select a contractor to do some work for several government agencies.  The members of the committee had diverse opinions of who and what was needed.  Just prior to our final meeting to select a contractor, I took some time to pray for our work.  Considering Eddy's statement, I affirmed that all members of the committee were governed by this one divine Mind.  This gave me a sense of peace about our meeting.  As we gathered to make our decision, there seemed to be tension and committee members were joking about needing baseball bats.  However, one person suggested that before we have any discussion, we take a secret vote and list our top choice.  To everyone's surprise, we voted unanimously for the same contractor.  The meeting was over in record time!

Let's join in our prayers and affirm this great truth that God, good is the only Mind.  It can have a healing effect!

You can read more healing ideas in Eddy's book.  You can read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it at major book sellers.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room at 4602 Plettner Lane in Evergreen, Colorado.

Recognizing the Harmony of Life

It was past nine on a Friday evening and things weren’t going well.  My colleague and I were tasked with getting a large computer system set up and operational on a network in time for business Monday morning.  My colleague had done this work many times before with other systems, but tonight we hadn’t gotten very far in the process and we were stuck.  The computer was not communicating with most of the devices on the network.  The support offices we needed to call for technical assistance were not open over the weekend.

I walked to the other side of the room to clear my thought and listen for inspiration.  We had been working on various aspects of this project for almost a year and had overcome many obstacles.  I was in the habit of turning to prayer for guidance and each time there had been a challenge it had been overcome.  As I thought about these experiences and the good this computer system was intended to accomplish, I felt a calm trust that God, Good wouldn’t bring the project this far and then abandon it.  My recognition that harmonious progress was a natural part of life, assured me that somehow, someway, we would be led to overcome this challenge.

At that point, I looked down at the printer I was standing by.  The printer, one of the only devices the computer would communicate with, had been spewing out paper for several minutes.  As I looked down I saw that the page emerging from the printer had a large heading: “Important – Read This”.  Following the heading was a single sentence that explained that due to an engineering change, we needed to issue a specific command to activate the circuit board in the computer that would communicate with the network.  This page was quickly buried by additional sheets of paper coming out of the printer, but we had our answer!  We were able to move forward and the system was operational on time!

Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer and writer pointed out the power in having a calm recognition of the naturalness of good.   In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she writes:

“Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious- as Life eternally is- can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.”

In this sentence, “Life” with a capital “L” is a name Eddy uses for God.  You can learn more about recognizing harmonious life and developing a calm trust in Life from Eddy’s book.  It can be read online, purchased through Amazon, or read, borrowed or purchased from the Christian Science Reading Room at 4602 Plettner Lane in Evergreen, Colorado.

Prayer Aids in Finding Car Keys

My car keys were missing!  I had looked everywhere for them with no success.  Then I did what I should have done initially- I prayed.  My prayer centered around an idea I had read in the book Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures.  The author, Mary Baker Eddy wrote:

“God is Mind, and God is infinite; hence all is Mind”

"Everything must be known to the Mind that is God", I reasoned.  This seemed logical and certain.  As I contemplated this, I looked at the floor in my closet and saw my keys.   I had looked repeatedly in the closet, but this time my eyes focused on this one specific spot!  The Mind that is God had directed me where to look!

To learn more about God as Mind you can read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from major booksellers.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room at 4602 Plettner Lane in Evergreen, Colorado.

Truth-Power, Not Will-Power, Brings Physical Healing

Positive-thinking or human will-power is considered to be an influence in human affairs.  Certainly, having a positive attitude is more helpful than a negative one and the drive to accomplish some goal is better than indifference and apathy.  But, positive attitude or human will alone isn't enough in many situations.  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian author and teacher known for her extensive record of healing disease, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"Truth, and not corporeal will is the divine power which says to disease, 'Peace, be still.'"

What is the truth that heals and how do we bring it to bear on a problem that needs healing?  Eddy explains that in it's highest sense, truth is a synonym for God.  In her book, she capitalizes the word "Truth" when referring to this divine essence.  For example, Eddy describes Jesus's healing prayers as "deep and conscientious protests of Truth, - of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth ..."  In other words, Jesus proclaimed the power and goodness of God, God's creation of man in God's likeness, and the indissoluble unity of this relationship between God and man.

I experienced an example of this power of Truth on a backpacking trip.  Throughout the trip, I had been able to carry a heavy pack and hike without getting tired or affected by the altitude.  However, as I started hiking the last day I felt a pain in my side.  The pain grew throughout the hike and I eventually became very weak.  It was tempting to speculate about a physical cause, but I refused.  I stuck with my inspiration of truth that strength wasn't about muscles, food, or air, but about my connection to God.  This wasn't positive thinking or willing myself to be well, but a conviction based on understanding the truth about my being.  As I held steadfastly to this truth, the pain disappeared and I resumed my normal activities.

You can learn more about the truth of your spiritual identity in the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  Read this book 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.

Finding Freedom of Movement by Knowing More About God's Government

My husband and I had hiked to a beautiful mountain lake.  When we started back down the trail to our car, I found it painful to walk.  What could I do?  There was no other way to get down, but to walk.  That week, I had been thinking about a statement by the writer Mary Baker Eddy in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that was applicable to this situation.  She wrote:

"Whatever is governed by God is never for an instant deprived of the light and might of intelligence and Life."

I thought about what life represented to me.  I knew that this life as created and governed by God included qualities like flexibility and freedom.  As I contemplated these ideas and completely focused on God and an awareness of God's government and care, my freedom and flexibility of movement returned.  I enjoyed the rest of the hike and returned comfortably to our car!

You can find out more about how God governs your life in Eddy's book.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online or purchased from major booksellers such as Amazon.  You can also read, borrow, or buy this book at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.