Expecting harmony
A Christian Science perspective: The presence of God precludes the possibility of evil.
It’s encouraging to think about the countless acts of kindness, order, and honesty taking place at this very moment. Newspaper reporters sharing good things happening in their communities. Courts upholding the law. Cars safely sharing the road. Schoolteachers instructing their students with information that is constructive and beneficial to society in general.
I find it helpful to realize that God, all-acting divine Principle, is the source and cause of all real harmony, and that harmony is actually an underlying spiritual law always at work, always present and active. Harmony is the normal condition of God’s creation, including the activities of every single one of His beloved children as His spiritual idea, or reflection. Under the marginal heading “Harmony natural” in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” are these words by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science: “Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it. Divine Principle is the Life of man” (p. 304).
All wrongs and injustices, in our own lives and in the world, need to be addressed, corrected, and replaced by what is just and right. We can help resolve inharmonious conditions by realizing and proving in our own lives that they are not of God and His divine law. As we pray for and gain a better understanding of God’s law of universal harmony, our fear and frustration give way to a recognition of God’s power and goodness, and that’s when harmony becomes more apparent, where discord had seemed to prevail.
Discerning what is true and real spiritually has an effect beyond ourselves, helping to prevent disasters or protect ourselves and others from them. Letting harmony reign in one’s thoughts replaces physical evidence of anything inharmonious with tangible evidence of harmony. Mrs. Eddy explains, “Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love – the kingdom of heaven – reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear” (Science and Health, p. 248). This kingdom of heaven is actually within you, and me, and everyone – because we actually are God’s man, His spiritual image and likeness, to whom He has given dominion. This is what makes it possible for us to bring more harmony into our lives and into the world.
Christ Jesus’ life set the perfect example for challenging and overcoming discord. His knowledge of God and His infinite harmony and peace – along with his own divine sonship and his love for everyone else as God’s spiritual reflection – enabled Jesus to overturn both fear and physical evidence of danger even while he was aboard a boat that was in the midst of a tempestuous storm. He confidently rebuked the threat of possible destruction.
The Bible tells us: “His disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matthew 8:25-27).
Jesus said those who believed in him would do the works he did. So it could not have been merely a personal power that enabled Jesus and his disciples to experience the “great calm.” It must have stemmed from our Master’s humble conviction of the supremacy of divine Principle and of the power of God’s law to calm a stormy sea. And this spiritual understanding must be something we can begin to cultivate in ourselves and put into practice.
God’s divine law of universal harmony is present, here and now. Each one of us can depend on this in order to better understand our safety and the natural peace that is the truth of God’s creation. You and I can “rebuke the winds and sea” – even in small ways. We can go higher spiritually in our perception of reality by striving to see for ourselves that the presence of God’s kingdom – the only reality there is – leaves no room for anything but enduring good. I’ve seen proofs of a restoration of harmony and health through this kind of prayer.
Science and Health gives this helpful statement: “Truth is not contaminated by error. Harmony in man is as beautiful as in music, and discord is unnatural, unreal” (p. 304). We can begin praying to prove the truth of God’s harmony in our day-to-day lives, and help bring about more harmony in the world, as well.