As free as a bird

Have you ever watched the effortless flight of a bird - watched it soar and swoop, gliding on the air currents with perfect ease and dominion? One day I learned a very helpful lesson from watching just such a display of freedom and buoyancy.

While working in an office, handling a large amount of rather monotonous and demanding copy typing, I experienced a severe attack of migraine. Since work was impossible under these circumstances, I took an early lunch hour and drove into town. The drive was a distance of approximately five miles over very lovely and wild moorland, a journey I usually looked forward to with joy. This moorland is also the home of some beautiful large birds.

When I arrived in town, I parked the car and started to pray to be free of this distressing condition. I had learned to turn to God in prayer, and knew that prayer to Him is always answered. I remembered a helpful statement by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science: ''A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive.'' n1

n1 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 463.

I knew that my actual selfhood was a spiritual idea of God, His very image, and that I therefore had the right to claim my dominion over every erroneous condition, whatever its nature. The Bible tells us that ''God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.'' n2

n2 Genesis 1:31.

Despite my prayers, however, the condition persisted. Somewhat disheartened, I made my way back over the moorland toward the office.

Suddenly I looked skyward and saw above and around me several large birds, swooping and gliding with effortless freedom. I stopped the car and watched their graceful activity for some moments. Then the precise thought from God that I needed came to my aid. I realized with joy: ''Why, I'm just as free as those birds. They never have a migraine and neither can I.'' In the words of a hymn, ''God made all His creatures free;/Life itself is liberty.'' n3

n3 Christian Science Hymnal, No. 83.

I just knew that ever-present Love, which is God, could never sanction sickness or pain for His creation, and that as His child I could claim my right to the same life and liberty that these birds were expressing so abundantly. For a few more moments I sat there rejoicing in these truths and gratefully accepting them. Then I drove back to the office.

It was midafternoon before I realized that I had been completely healed on the moor; the whole problem had simply taken wings and left me free. There was no more pain or nausea, and I was able to handle with complete freedom all that was assigned to me.

Here was just one more proof of the healing and redeeming power of divine Love. This Love is always at hand to meet our every need if we will just turn to it, acknowledge its divine power and complete authority (the only real power and authority), and let this take over in our lives. Then we too can expect to experience harmony, to be ''as free as a bird.'' DAILY BIBLE VERSE How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. Psalms 36:7-9