The State of the Union: a different view
A Christian Science perspective.
Like many Americans, I listened intently as President Obama gave his live televised State of the Union message Tuesday evening. The annual speech provides Congress with an update on where we have been and where we are going, and in recent decades, the public has been given the privilege of listening in.
I’ve experienced firsthand some of the numerous issues addressed in the speech that are confronting the United States. I’ve felt the impact of the economic and housing crisis in my personal and business life, and have seen friends struggle with layoffs and difficulty finding employment. I’ve witnessed with gratitude the strides made in bringing troops home from war and in defeating terrorism. I have literally heard the shouts of frustration from the “Occupy” movement as those involved take a stand for what they feel is a needed change. And while I could and did listen with interest and expectation to Tuesday’s address, I asked myself how I could contribute to my country’s progress.
Like any citizen, I can become more informed and utilize my right to vote in an educated way. I can become an activist in a movement that I feel can make a positive difference. And most important to me, I can do what comes most naturally for me to do, and what has always proved most effective. I can pray.
As I realized my part in this, I got to thinking about the whole concept of the “state of the union.” It occurred to me that from a spiritual standpoint there could be only one state of the union, and – Hallelujah! – it is a good one. God, the divine, all-knowing Mind, is able to see everything with perfect clarity, with perfect and absolute Truth. He surely knows what He created and the nature and state of its being.
I felt relieved. And that relief came not only from realizing that I can willingly let go of confusion and doubt, and that I can trust God’s omnipotence and omnipresence. I was also calmed and reassured by knowing that the true state of affairs – the absolute spiritual state of the union, of our union with God and so with one another – must naturally and necessarily be perfectly harmonious, flourishing, and good at all times. This is what God has caused and keeps in its original state.
God’s spiritual creation is intact and stands firm and true and can’t be impacted by crises, nor does it need to be corrected by time or by legislation. The state of our union with God has perfect integrity. It is unshakable, invincible, and impartial. It is not in the hands of politicians or economists. It is in the capable hands of an omniscient God, who I know to be Love.
Knowing and accepting that God keeps all that He made as an incorruptible, unified whole can bring each of us, including those in positions of power, fearless calm, insight, and trust, which enable wise human actions, clear and reasonable discourse, new and healing ideas, and a peace that remains undisturbed.
We all can unite in the purpose of seeing more of what is really going on, more of the absolute harmony that is God’s providence and His promise. That promise is the permanent and blessed state of our union, and of every idea in God’s creation, be it individual or nation – “yesterday, and to-day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).
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