Replying on God, Not People

   

        Learning to cast our cares on God, not other people, is in line with what our heavenly Father expects of us.  The Bible says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:  for I am God, and there is none else."  (Isaiah 45:22)

        Christ Jesus, of course, did this in every difficulty that confronted him.  And he consistently urged everyone else to seek God's help, while at the same time he demonstrated the vast blessings that come from enlightened reliance on God.

        The human mind looks for support from without but in spiritual reality there is no without.  All is within divine Mind and Mind's reflection, or idea, man.  One idea doesn't need to be an intercessory for another.  In the long run salvation must come to us through our own efforts, and not hoping to sidestep spiritual work that is legitimately ours to do. 

        The teachings of Christian Science support this.  Mary Baker Eddy points out in Miscellaneous Writings, "Each student should, must, work out his own problem of being; conscious, meanwhile, that God worketh with him, and that he needs no personal aid." (page 283)

        What about the individual who isn't inclined to seek divine aid when troubles arise?  God simply does not seem real or close to him, so turning to Him for answers to life's challenges is not readily done.  Happily, a feeling of separation from our divine source can be overcome.  And it should be, since nothing can come close to comparing with the heaven of experiencing God's immediateness.

        Several states of thought are indispensable in this direction, but what I'm thinking of right now is gratitude to God for all we owe Him for His endless benefits.  Our creator is due all the reverence, adoration, and gratitude His children can give Him.  Jesus' life, as well as passages all the way through the Bible, make this clear.  In addition, I've learned from my study of Christian Science what healing power comes when we thank God for creating us in His own likeness and maintaining us this way. A recognition of this wonderfully uplifting divine fact lets in the light of Christ, Truth. It pierces the darkness of mortal thinking (and it doesn't matter what the challenge is), and it begins at once to obliterate everything unlike itself.  It restores harmony.  It sets us free.