Category: Christian Science

God’s Love and guidance is ever-available

When traveling in unfamiliar countries, it is always comforting to know that we are never outside of God’s care, protection and guidance.  That wherever we are, the Christ, Truth is present.

While on a game drive in an African country, our jeep was returning to the camp after dark.  I needed to wipe my nose and didn’t realize until we had light at our camp, that my nose was bleeding profusely.  There were strict rules and time schedules at the camp.  We were not allowed to go to our cabins unaccompanied by a staff member, because of the animals we might encounter.  It was dinner time.  As I turned to God in prayer, I felt His presence, care and guidance.  I spoke with the camp manager, assuring him I was all right, but needed to go to my cabin at once.  There were not other Christian Scientists in the group, and I didn’t want the others to be concerned.  The manager let me go alone to my tent.  On the way I was rejoicing in that and realizing God’s complete control over every bodily function.  It took some time for the bleeding to stop.  I prayed to not be concerned about being late for dinner or arousing fears of others of my situation.  I was grateful to feel calm, assured of Love’s provision for every need.  I was able to return to dinner on my own, a bit late and with no comments from anyone.

I am so grateful to Mary Baker Eddy for discerning and sharing the underlying laws of harmony and good on which Christ Jesus based his healings.  In her book, Science and Health, she tells us how we can utilize these laws to heal and resolve any problem. My gratitude to God for His love, care and guidance is boundless.

DH

Stolen items recovered

Last Friday I had the opportunity to pay more attention to God’s angel-messages than despair, and it saved me!

This is what happened. I enjoy playing the recorder, a wooden musical instrument, and was on my way to join a group of fellow recorder-players in a rehearsal and evening playing session. I just had time to stop for a quick dinner, and I chose a well-known hamburger place. Unfortunately, upon returning to my car, I found that someone had smashed in the window and taken my bag of many recorders and another bag with some sailing gear. It was a shock to see this loss, as it hadn’t even occurred to me that these might seem an attractive target. There was a security guard in the parking lot, and he said that this happened right when he took a brief break, and that they had broken his car window, too, taking his backpack. I called the police, who were sorry to hear it, but not able to come out for a few hours, offering the option to report the loss online.

Right when I first saw this, I asked God for an idea, and this is what came: “Nothing of value can be taken from you.” I understood this to mean that since my being is spiritual, and the substance of everything I love is also spiritual, that is why nothing of value could be taken from me. Eternal ideas, true substance, cannot be taken. The security guard suggested I look in nearby dumpsters, as the contents of the bags were not likely what the window-breakers were seeking. This seemed like a reasonable idea to me, so as I looked in nearby dumpsters, I kept cherishing this message: Nothing of value can be taken from me. I also prayed to see that nothing of value could be taken from the one who thought they could benefit by stealing: not their honesty, integrity, purpose, self-worth, or conscious connection with God. I knew I needed to love them as God’s pure child.

After an unsuccessful search, I decided to go down the road a bit to look in behind some nearby buildings in their trash… but no recorders. I stopped to pray more earnestly, rejecting the temptation to mentally catalog the considerable financial loss and give in to woe and sorrow. It seemed like the best thing to do was go home to continue in steadfast prayer, so I began driving that direction.  Very shortly, a call came on my cell phone. I pulled over, and the caller said, “This is kind of a funny thing to ask, but do you have a bag of recorders?” “YES!” I answered. She said someone had thrown three bags on her lawn, and one was my bag of recorders. A second was my sailing bag. She had found a name tag in the bag, Googled the name, and found my phone number on my website. She gave me her address, and I was there in less than ten minutes. Nothing was missing from either of my two bags. The third belonged to the security guard, and I called the hamburger place so he could know to come retrieve his bag, also.

I did go on to play my recorders that evening, with such a heart full of gratitude and joy! I feel the decision to abandon the recorders where there was a possibility they could be recovered (rather than in a dumpster heading for landfill) was the Christ speaking to that individual. I feel the whole episode was really an unusual request for prayer on the part of that individual, and I continue to pray for him. Nothing of value can be taken from me, or from him, either. Thank you to God!!!

Father-Mother God Comforts

Father-Mother God Comforts

Wednesday readings 1/28/15

Hymn 174

Like as a mother, God comforteth His children;
Comfort is calm, that bids all tumult cease;
Comfort is hope and courage for endeavor,
Comfort is love, whose home abides in peace.

Love is true solace and giveth joy for sorrow, —
O, in that light, all earthly loss is gain;
Joy must endure, Love’s giving is forever;
Life is of God, whose radiance cannot wane.

O holy presence, that stills all our demanding,
O love of God, that needs but to be known!
Heaven is at hand, when thy pure touch persuades us,
Comfort of God, that seeks and finds His own.

The Bible

Isa. 66:13

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

Isa. 40:1, 2 (to :), 10-11

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:

Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Isa. 54:11, 13

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Isa. 49:13-16 (to ; )

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;

Jer. 31:10, 11, 13

Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

John 14:1-6

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Luke 8:41-56

And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a-dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.

And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished:

John 14:16-18 I, 26 1st the, 27

I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Rom. 8:31, 35, 37-39

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

II Thess. 2:15-17

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy
592:16-17

MOTHER. God; divine and eternal Principle; Life, Truth, and Love.
332:4-5, 9-11 Christ, 19-22 Jesus

Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation.

Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness.

Jesus demonstrated Christ; he proved that Christ is the divine idea of God — the Holy Ghost, or Comforter, revealing the divine Principle, Love, and leading into all truth.

55:27-29

In the words of St. John: “He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” This Comforter I understand to be Divine Science.

304:9-15

This is the doctrine of Christian Science: that divine Love cannot be deprived of its manifestation, or object; that joy cannot be turned into sorrow, for sorrow is not the master of joy; that good can never produce evil; that matter can never produce mind nor life result in death. The perfect man –governed by God, his perfect Principle — is sinless and eternal.

336:9-18 Immortal

Immortal man was and is God’s image or idea, even the infinite expression of infinite Mind, and immortal man is coexistent and coeternal with that Mind. He has been forever in the eternal Mind, God; but infinite Mind can never be in man, but is reflected by man. The spiritual man’s consciousness and individuality are reflections of God. They are the emanations of Him who is Life, Truth, and Love. Immortal man is not and never was material, but always spiritual and eternal.

218:32-219:2

When we wake to the truth of being, all disease, pain, weakness, weariness, sorrow, sin, death, will be unknown, and the mortal dream will forever cease.

108:19-29

When apparently near the confines of mortal existence, standing already within the shadow of the death-valley, I learned these truths in divine Science: that all real being is in God, the divine Mind, and that Life, Truth, and Love are all-powerful and ever-present; that the opposite of Truth, — called error, sin, sickness, disease, death, — is the false testimony of false material sense, of mind in matter; that this false sense evolves, in belief, a subjective state of mortal mind which this same so-called mind names matter, thereby shutting out the true sense of Spirit.

289:25-290:2

The spiritual fact and the material belief of things are contradictions; but the spiritual is true, and therefore the material must be untrue. Life is not in matter. Therefore it cannot be said to pass out of matter. Matter and death are mortal illusions. Spirit and all things spiritual are the real and eternal.

Man is not the offspring of flesh, but of Spirit, — of Life, not of matter. Because Life is God, Life must be eternal, self-existent. Life is the everlasting I AM, the Being who was and is and shall be, whom nothing can erase.

419:4-7

Your true course is to destroy the foe, and leave the field to God, Life, Truth, and Love, remembering that God and His ideas alone are real and harmonious.

516:9-12

God fashions all things, after His own likeness. Life is reflected in existence, Truth in truthfulness, God in goodness, which impart their own peace and permanence.

516:21-23

Man and woman as coexistent and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality, the infinite Father-Mother God.

16:27, 29, 31;

17:2, 5, 7, 10-11, 14-15

Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,

Adorable One.

Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Enable us to know, — as in heaven, so on earth, — God is omnipotent, supreme.

Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections;

And Love is reflected in love;

And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.

For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and All.

Hymn 209

O gentle presence, peace and joy and power;
O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour,
Thou Love that guards the nestling’s faltering flight!
Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight.

Love is our refuge; only with mine eye
Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:
His habitation high is here, and nigh,
His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.

O make me glad for every scalding tear,
For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!
Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear
No ill, — since God is good, and loss is gain.

Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;
In that sweet secret of the narrow way,
Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:
“Lo, I am with you alway,” — watch and pray.

No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain;
No night drops down upon the troubled breast,
When heaven’s aftersmile earth’s tear-drops gain,
And mother finds her home and heav’nly rest.

Hymn 406

O Love, our Mother, ever near,
To Thee we turn from doubt and fear!
In perfect peace our thoughts abide;
Our hearts now in this truth confide:
Man is the child of God.

O Light, in Thy light we can see
That man is ever one with Thee.
In love our lives Thou dost enfold,
And now our waiting hopes behold
That man is God’s own child.

O joy that ever will remain,
Midst seeming sorrow, hate, and pain,
Our hearts to fill with this glad song
That soars above the mists of wrong:
Man is the loved of Love.

 

 

Abdominal knot is not

Several weeks ago a phrase kept coming to my thought. Day and night it would not leave me. It was: “I will heal thee of thy hardness.” I felt it was a message directed to me from infinite Mind, and I thought I recognized it from a hymn. I focused on the idea “I will heal thee”, to me meaning that God is the healer. I could relax! I didn’t have to come up with some perfect phrase. God is the healer. I mentioned this idea to a church friend, and she found the hymn containing that phrase, number 278 in the Christian Science Hymnal. Here is the verse:

Healed is thy hardness, His love hath dissolved it,
Full is the promise, the blessing how kind;
So shall His tenderness teach thee compassion,
So all the merciful, mercy shall find.

I had been concerned with a large hardness (about the size of a tennis ball, it seemed) in my abdomen. It was not normal. It caused me discomfort at times but was not particularly painful. I wanted to demonstrate Christian Science healing, and because I was not in what I would call critical condition, I felt I had the “closet time” to do this. I have benefited so much from the testimonies, from the Shared Reflections Lecture Series in the Journal as well as other articles in the periodicals, I can’t begin to thank the writers of each contribution. In this case, it all came together with: “I shall heal thee of thy hardness.” I know no physical problem actually exists in God’s presence, but is just a reflection of seeing things outside of truth. When in a recent testimony a man realized “There is no pain in Truth” (Science and Health, p. 113), I thought deeply about what that meant to me and to everyone. I realized the hardness I seemed to be feeling simply represented self-justification, anger, etc., expressed over many years.

Well, God has healed me. The hardness has just gone. I cannot express enough gratitude for all that the Christ, Truth, has brought to us and to Mary Baker Eddy for her tireless efforts to share her discovery of the laws of healing with mankind, and for all those who have followed her teachings and have shared their experiences.

Hair loss reversed and hair restored through prayer

One day when I went unexpectedly at lunch time to my fiancée’s house, I was brought up short to find that he was with another woman. I was astonished. We had a few (calm) words, then I left. Our relationship ceased at that point. However, I was deeply saddened by this unexpected turn of events. Within a few days, my hair began falling out. I was very concerned, as was my hairdresser. About this time, while awaiting some shoe repair, I noticed some magazines there in the shoe repair shop, that looked helpful. I picked one up and it immediately opened to the account of a woman suffering from hair loss, just like mine, who had had a healing of this condition through turning to Christian Science. (The magazines, I found out, were called “The Christian Science Sentinel.”) I had never heard of Christian Science, and had no idea what many of the ideas were that I was reading, but decided if this woman could be healed, so could I. One idea the woman mentioned was that we are God’s perfect expression, and that in spite of how impressive the hair loss appeared, that was not how God saw her.  Her reminder to herself was: Nothing that is truly a part of you can be lost.  Where would it go?  She had decided to not pay special attention to her hair but focused instead on her true being: God’s beloved idea, whole, complete, perfect, intact, and beautiful. This was very different reasoning to me, this declaring the outcome first, that seemed invisible, but I determined to follow her lead and do the same. I began acknowledging that I was God’s perfect expression, whole, complete, loved. I caught a glimpse that I could not lose anything.  Days went by, and I kept at this. A few weeks later, my hairdresser asked with immediate delight, “How did you get your hair to grow back, so thick and beautifully?” I responded that I had found an answer in Christian Science. She was extremely impressed this could happen without medication or another technique, and so quickly. I determined to find out more about Christian Science, and was more than a little grateful for this healing.

MP

Headache healed through inspiration

I was planning on going to the Christian Science Church but had trouble getting out of bed, due to a migraine headache. Painfully, I got washed up, dressed, and went to church. Gone were the plans to swim first, eat a bite, and get there early.  I was lucky to get there about twenty minutes into the service. I walked in and sat down on a chair by the door. The usher was standing by the stairs up to the chapel area.  I just sat there.  After a few minutes, I motioned him to the side, and told him my issue. He kindly shared some ideas with me about his friend that had had the same problem, and how turning to God’s love relieved him. I sat down, and literally, within a few minutes, maybe five, the headache was suddenly gone. I got up and climbed the stairs to the chapel. I went up front to sit with my friend who I usually attend church with. She smiled at me, I smiled back, and felt very energized, happy, and grateful to be at the Christian Science Church. She obviously had no idea whatsoever that anything had been wrong with me at all. I am sure that the usher who spoke with me when this happened can completely corroborate this story of a sudden healing.

M.P.

Growth on foot healed

I am so grateful to God for all good, and that even if we think progress is slow, nevertheless God still has the final (and only) say.

One day, I noticed a hard part growing on one foot.  After a while it began hurting when I would walk, as if it were a cut that would not heal.  I prayed some about it, but there seemed no improvement over several months.  I remembered my mom had had similar difficulties, and that was discouraging, as I thought it might be hereditary.

About this time, I was praying deeply to understand God’s presence and power more, not just to try to alleviate this foot problem, but to help some others with some problems they were facing.  There were times of just whole-hearted agreement with God as the only source, that He is completely good, and that man is his perfect expression.  From time to time I would think of or feel this foot problem, and I would quietly declare that because God is all, this is a 3-D mistaken view about me, and I did not have to accept it.

I am delighted to say, that the sharp, hard part stopped hurting, then disappeared completely.  Worrying about it hadn’t helped, nor had trying to ignore it.  I believe it was wiped out by the consistent turning to Love’s government and view.  Thank you, God, for your care of all of us!

ALK

Healing of effects of a fall and appreciating a Christian Science care facility

My 95-year-old mother lives in a Christian Science community about 500 miles from me. She has had a few falls over recent years, with good healings each time. Last November she fell again in her apartment. The community staff and a local Christian Science nurse gave her initial help until I could fly down to be with her. She was troubled with severe back pain that made walking extremely difficult, and lying down/getting up painfully hard. I was a practical and metaphysical support for several days, and we used a walker and wheelchair to get around the apartment.

Progress wasn’t being made, however. And that weekend, I was scheduled to fly East for my annual Christian Science Association meeting, an inspiring event my mother did not want me to miss. The Christian Science nurses on call in the area weren’t available for the kind of full-time help she needed. And Mother objected strongly to the other logical option — a Christian Science nursing facility. (“You just go there to die” was her view!) Her care was of course my first priority, and I turned in prayer to God to open the way for a solution that would bless us both, giving her the care she needed and allowing me to attend my meeting — if that were the right course.

One day I was talking to the local Christian Science nurse for suggestions on care, and mentioned the nursing facility as not an option. She immediately said that the facility would be the ideal place for Mother, not only for the loving care she’d receive but also as getting her away from her routine and provide a “metaphysical kickstart” to the healing. Mother had a high respect for this woman’s opinion, and when I shared these thoughts, she quietly agreed to go. We had to transport her to the car in a wheelchair and she was wheeled to her lovely room at the facility when she arrived. She was very receptive to the spiritual atmosphere and delighted by the care (and food!) provided. She was soon touring the facility in a walker, and within the week, able to return home — without a wheelchair. A full-time caregiver was available when she returned, and within a couple of days, she was free of the walker, and needed only a few hours of daytime care. She continues to walk freely without any aid. I’m so grateful for the provision of the nursing facilities (that they are actually places to live and progress), and the clear-sighted confidence the nurses display in guiding patients toward healing.

CO

Prayer inspires, and eliminates leg pain

Two different people I interacted with recently noticed something unusual about me, with both using the phrase,”I see you have something going on here.”  Well, maybe so, but the double comment made me stop at the beginning of the week and write down in my Christian Science Quarterly next to the subject, “Unreality”, What is going on?  After that I wrote, Anger or peace?  Hatred or love?  Frustration or patience? Material bondage or spiritual freedom?  Poor material vision or clarity of sight?  Imprisoned in matter or completely free in Spirit?  So, I pondered these contrasts all week long, but by Saturday morning I had come to accept that for a couple of days my left hip and leg were sore from a groin pull, and that morning my right hip indicated some issue.  Early that Saturday morning I was replacing flowers in the church and had a few minutes to look at the Bible Lesson.  I didn’t get much farther than the Golden Text, from 1 John: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ” I reasoned that means:

God is Love and there is no hatred at all.
God is Spirit and there is no matter at all.
God is Life and there is no death at all.
God is Soul and there is no ugliness at all.
God is Truth and there is no inharmony at all.
God is Principle and there is no disorder at all.

I did write and think about other qualities, but this was the gist.  It was 9:00 AM before I knew it, and time to head to a tennis game I was scheduled to play in.  When it was over, I realized I had not felt so much as a tweak during the match and that my legs were moving in accord with God’s quality of grace in action.

I am so very grateful to God for His goodness, not just for restored harmony of leg movement, but restored harmony of thought-movement!
HF

Hymn Brings Quick Healing

One of the hymns at a Wednesday evening testimony meeting really resonated with me.  I hadn’t sung/read it for some time and found the message inspirational.  For several days following the service, I prayed with it each day.  Christian Science Hymnal, #406:

O Love, our Mother, ever near,
To Thee we turn from doubt and fear!
In perfect peace our thoughts abide;
Our hearts now in this truth confide: Man is the child of God.

O Light, in Thy light we can see
That man is ever one with Thee.
In love our lives Thou dost enfold
And now our waiting hopes behold That man is God’s own child.

O joy that ever will remain,
Midst seeming sorrow, hate and pain,
Our hearts to fill with this glad song
That soars above the mists of wrong: Man is the loved of Love.

The following Saturday I enjoyed a lovely day hiking with friends.  Shortly after returning home, I suddenly felt extremely ill.  My entire body was painful.  I turned immediately to this hymn and was comforted by Love’s tender care for me. I felt Love’s infinite presence that dissolves all unlike itself.  I affirmed that peace is inherent in man as God’s reflection, the expression of Soul, another name for God, thus nothing can disturb nor disrupt that peace and normal functioning.  After praying for about an hour, all pain left as quickly as it had come.

My gratitude to God for His omnipotence and omnipresence is unbounded.

NH