Keeping our priorities straight

We run into trouble,
you and I, when priorities are askew;
when thought is fixed on worldly things,
and not on "Let me do what pleases You."

So, let us turn to God and pray,
when foot first touches floor,
"May this day ahead be lived
with your will its guide and core."

See discord and confusion flee
and the same for discontent,
when putting our Father's wishes first
becomes our sole intent.

Why People Rely on Christian Science for Healing

        I do so, and so do countless others, from a desire to follow Christ Jesus in demonstrating God's allness and man's relation to Him.  We do this with eyes wide open, yearning to prove God's absolute control over our entire being.  Like our Master, we choose to take a spiritually enlightened approach to solving all problems.

        To wholehearted followers of Christ, whether they face fear, lack, family inharmony, or downright aggressive bodily pain, the remedy is always the same.  Turn to God and rely on Him, as Jesus did.

        Not all healings come quickly, of course.  One may have been taking his problems to God with no apparent results for some time, and perhaps he may feel  he has been long-suffering long enough.  But he should still turn and never stop turning to all-powerful, always-operating Truth.  Salvation from an erroneous sense of existence must come through Christ, Truth.  And it does come, as one continues reaching out to Mind for a clearer recognition of divine reality.

        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.  Sometimes people will admit to never having even once felt God's love or power.  I've heard people say this more than once.  Happily, a feeling of separation from one's divine source can be overcome. And it should be, since nothing can come close to comparing with the heaven of experiencing God's immediateness.

        What can you and I do in order not to feel apart from God?  We can pray with all our hearts.  We can actually ask our Father to  help us embody those states of thoughts that make us more alive to His loving ever-presence.

        Jesus pointed out one indispensable quality in these words:  "Except ye be converted, and become as little childlren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:3)

        Childlikeness, with its innocence, trust, obedience, receptivity to good, is worthy of our most serious cultivation.  It points to our true relation to God and ensures an ever clearer sense of His love and power and care.  And since innocence and obedience belong to man's God-bestowed spiritual nature, there isn't anyone who can't learn and use these spiritual qualities.

        We cannot possibly express too much true childlikeness toward our heavenly Father.  Nor can we praise and thank Him too much.  Our creator is due all the reverence, adoration, and gratitude His children can give Him.  Jesus' life, as well as pasages all the way through the Bible, make this clear.

        Being awake and alive to all we owe God for His endless benefits is crucial to Christian Science demontration.  Gratitude to Him should be in our thoughts and hearts as much as possible, even if--especially if--we have an as-yet-unresolved problem of some kind.  Why?  Because few states of thinking are so conducive to  healing as that of gratitude.  This wonderfully uplifting moral attitude lets in the light of Christ, Truth.  This light pierces the darkness of mortal thinking and begins at once to obliterate everything unlike itself.  It restores harmony.

        The God-based, Mind-reflecting strength and self-sufficiency that one's own study of Christian Science affords can bring one successfully through any trying situation.  It makes possible quicker, more conclusive proofs of Spirit's allness.  But there's more.  Habitually turning to God in difficulties enables one to feel His loving presence more consistently.  And feeling an abiding sense of "God with us" is so glorious that we can reach the point of actually being grateful for having had the opportunity to gain significant spiritual growth through overcoming adversity.

        So, if you find yourself being specially challenged and thinking, "How can I deal with this problem I'm having?", heed the angel that says, "Why not rely on Christian Science for healing?"  You will be so thankful you did.

       

       

       

       

Yielding to the Irresistible, Wading in Again

                                            (By my husband,
                                                   John Robert Howell)


        Earlier in my study of Christian Science, I would always avoid the trial in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 430 ff.)  Like Joe Friday on the old "Dragnet" I just wanted the facts, if I wanted anything, truths laid out like a string of bread crumbs which I could at least make a pretense of following.  The trial required thought, and why didn't Mrs. Eddy just tell me in plain English what she waned me to know?  It is obvious now that she treated the subject in the way which would best educate the reader if he was of a mind to be educated and had the humility and patience to ponder the proceedings.

        The trial takes up over 12 pages of Science and Health, and it is certain Mrs. Eddy didn't spend even one sentence on something superfluous.  No one will regret exchanging his low-cut shoes or sneakers for some serious high-top boots and wading into the rial, the further the better.  I have wondered about ruminating after feeling ill, but of course the moment we feel ill is the moment we can choose one of two courses.  We can, as Mrs. Eddy says, promptly and persistently oppose the suggestion of illness with Christian Science or we can ruminate and let the trial begin.  Mortal Man may be the defendant, but the allegory quickly goes from "a man" to "the patient" to "the prisoner", which is his designation until the final page.  Mrs. Eddy may have used Mortal Man as the title of the defendant in order to emphysize the need to depersonalize the claims of Personal Sense.

        It is also a point of note that the prisoner became ill in the act of doing good.  This seems to resonate with the test of all prayer in Science and Health, "In public prayer we often go beyond our convictions, beyond the honest standpoint of fervent desire.  If we are not secretly yearning and openly striving for the accomplishment of all we ask, our prayers are 'vain repetitions,' such as the heathen use.  If our petitons are sincere, we labor for what we ask; and our Father, who seeth in secret, will reward us openly.  Can the mere public expression of our desires increase them?  Do we gain the omnipotent ear sooner by words than by thoughts?  Even if prayer if sincere, God knows our need before we tell Him or our fellow-beings about it."   (13:5-16) and that equally compelling statement in Miscellaneous Writings, "Too soon we cannot turn from disease in the body to find disease in the mortal mind, and its cure, in working for God.  Thought must be made better, and human life more fruitful, for the divine energy to move it onward and upward." (343:5-9)  Viewed in the light of these passages the trial adumbrates a sobering obligation for all Christian Scientists, but one which should be joyfully undertaken.

        If we are sincere Christian Scientists, the Court of Spirit may be in session frequently, perhaps daily and hourly if we are confronting faithfully and courageously the legions of errors that beset all mortals.

        It is imperative that Christian Science be our counsel in these trials.  If so, we can confidently expect a verdict of "not guilty".  The trial in Science and Health has much to offer and unfolds endlessly to our attempts to embrace it.

Success for you, too

A college student I know likes her life just fine--until a more talented and/or better-looking girl appears on the scene.  Then feelings of comparison, envy, and depression roll in, eroding her self-confidence.

My friend is not alone.  Many people have a struggle not to feel envious of the success and accomplishments of others.

Christ Jesus addressed this problem in his parable of the prodigal son, in which the older son begrudges the good things that the father bestows on the repentant younger brother.  The father's words of assurance to his jealous son point to a vital spiritual truth of God and man that can be helpful to the person dealing with envy.  He says, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."  (Luke 15:31)

Christian Science, which follows the Master's teachings, helps us see that man's actual being is made in God's likeness, is the spiritual, eternal offspring of God.  And so, man is in full possession of every Godlike quality essential to joy, dominion, purpose, and fulfillment.  These are not gifts occasionally bestowed on certain individuals by a heavenly Father who loves some more than others.  They are bestowed on all God's creation impartially.  Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, writes, referring to God, "Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals."  (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 13) 

For the person beset by feelings of inadequacy and envy, the knowledge of his completeness as the child of God--endowed with just as much ability to reflect God's all-encompassing nature as any of His children--brings freedom from the misery of unfilfilled hopes and unnecessary comparisons.  It awakens one to realize that all the good one can possibly need for happiness is already his; that God, divine Mind, is forever expressing Himself in man.  The prophet says of God's purpose for each one of us, "This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise."  (Isaiah 43:21)

Instead of wasting precious time envying the good other people do, how much more rewarding it is--for ourselves and for mankind--to get busy expressing our own unique spiritual purpose.  Accepting the fact that God created us to show forth His nature, and recognizing that as His image we reflect unlimited ability, inspire us to develop to the full our God-given potential.  Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "The talents He gives we must improve."  (p. 6)

An experience I had several years ago illustrates what help this can be in putting off envy.  In addition to my regular office duties I was appointed to a special committee whose other members all appeared to me to have superior intellects.  In fact, these people seemed so far above me in intelligence and expertise that I would often leave a meeting where I had contributed little or nothing, feeling quite frustrated and depressed.  Finally, I asked a Christian Science practitioner to help me through prayer.  I had relied on God for answers to other problems and was assured this one could be solved as well.

One day it dawned on me that I was so impressed with how well the others were doing I wasn't using the talents God had given me!  For the first time I saw that I had all the God-given ability required to do this  job--indeed that God actually needed my unique expression of His nature in order that He be fully reflected.  As I began striving to better express His pure, loving, intelligent nature, feelings of inadequacy gave way to confidence and satisfying self-expression.  New talents even surfaced, with the end result that I did make a worthwhile contribution.

If, then, we're struggling with feelings of envy, we might consider these two Bible-based spiritual truths:  (1)  Our true selfhood is God's perfect expression, inseparable from His eternal, all-encompassing care and therefore already in possession of all good.  (2)  Our purpose is to manifest God's attributes in continuous, satisfying activity.

Understanidng these potent truths, striving to develop our own God-bestowed abilities and individuality, we'll find ourselves no longer cast down by the thought of another's talents and accomplishments but rather feeling satisfied and complete.

Spiritual Understanding Heals

         (Written for one who is new to the teachings of Christian Science)



        Be assured, God does answer prayer.  But perhaps our prayers need to embody less fearful pleading and more understanding trust in His care for man.  The New Testament says, "I wil pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also."  (1 Corinthians 14:15)

        Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:  "'The prayer of faith shall save the sick.' says the Scripture.  What is this healing prayer?  A mere request that God will heal the sick has  no power to gain more of the divine presence than is always at hand."  And she continues further along, referring to God as divine Truth and Love, "It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is it the human understanding of the divine  healing Principle as manifested in Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth,--of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love."  (p. 12)

        Christ Jesus' assurance "Ye shall knw the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) takes on new meaning for the person who begins the study of Christian Science.  He begins to see that an understanding of God makes free because the fact is that everyone's real selfhood is God's likeness, therefore eternally free, spiritually whole and safe at this moment.  The spiritual laws underlying the Master's words and deeds, their changless Principle, become clearer to the individual who gains some practical understanding of the Christ-power that Jesus expressed so fully.  And this imbues his prayers for himself and others with power and efficacy.

        The law of God is available for everyone to learn and benefit from.  When the spiritual truth of God and man is specifically brought to bear on a particular trouble through prayer and purified living, healing takes place.  Whether the difficulty is of long duration or is acute, something of the spiritual harmony of man in God's likeness inevitably comes to light.

        The spiritual concept of man is basic to the teachings of Christian Science, and this is why adherents of this religion find it essential to pray from the Biblical standpoint that man is made in God's own image. (See Genesis 1:27)  Accepting the premise that God is perfect Spirit, as the Bible teaches, they realize that the creations of Spirit can only be spiritual, perfect.  And this is the reality of man's being, despite appearances to the contrary.  It must be, because God couldn't have created man subject to discord and destruction.

        In the measure that we express our true nature as this spiritual likeness, we are following the example of Jesus, who healed sin, disease, and all discord through spiritual means alone.  Mrs. Eddy writes:  "The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation.  Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural,  but supremely natural."  (Science and Health, p. xi)

        The last one hundred pages of Science and Health are devoted to healings that resulted from studing this book.  Among those wonderful experiences are healings of cataract, rheumatism, cancer, consumption, deafness, kidney disease, stomach trouble, and astigmatism.  Christian Science has lifted countless thousands out of painful physical conditions.

        Jesus promised us, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also."  (John 14:12)  Humbly striving to follow the Master's teachings through an absolute faith in God and a growing discernment of the true nature of man as His perfect likeness, anyone can begin to fulfill that promise and find healing.

How God Helps Us

They told me not to even try writing poetry.

"You're not intellectual enough"

Wise and published ones said.

So, I didn't try -- for too many years.

Then one wonderful day unforgettable,

Poems began to flow,

Poems that have warmed people,

Made them weep and laugh,

Enlightened, inspired, and in some cases,

Made them want to amend their lives.

Truly.

So, don't ever let anymore convince you

To keep your words bottled up.

Isn't what you have to share

As valid as anyone else's?

Express what you feel -- boldly.

That's all there is to style, in my view.

So have your say.

If it's in your heart,

It will reach the heart of others.

And besides, your loving Father

Can help you in this, as in all else,

Cause the inspiration you share

To reach out far and wide,

Bless others beyond what

You may now imagine.

And  you will feel as do I,

That to Him goes all the credit.

No mas, por favor

        This is what my friend from Guatemala might say at some point in his experience of loving God and living in obedience to Him.  Which he earnestly strives to do, being a religious man.  As Paul so beatifully puts it, "As it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

        This does happen when we love God, when we make every effort to do what He gave His Son to have us do.  The blessings at times can be nearly overwhelming and we almost want to say to Him, " No mas, no more good please.  You've given me so much already, dear Father."

        Then there are those times our Master warns us of, when living in accord with divine commands brings tribulation.  And plenty of it.  Sometimes so much that one wonders if he'll make it through.  But God always upholds those who belong to Him, to those who have named the Name of Christ, to those who are following in Jesus' steps.  Evil hates this more than all else.  But those who stand with Christ are going to prevail over whatever they may confront in this life.  It is not possible that anything can ever defeat such a one.  No power on earth can do this.

        We can count on it -- count not only on trying times which test where our love and loyalty lie.  But those glorious days when God's love is poured out on us in such a measure that we feel, no mas, por favor!