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.

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.

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.

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.

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.