Mental stability – possible for everyone
A Christian Science perspective: A deeper understanding of Mind brings peace to the disturbed mentality.
In these times of global stir, greater mental stability is certainly something we all would like to experience. A slight variation on a famous saying about peace might relate, “Let there be stability in the world and let it begin with me.” Surely mental equilibrium, an unshakable peace that can withstand turbulent events that occur, is a necessity.
There was a time in my life when I had to think deeply about this subject. A history of severe emotional problems affected both sides of my family. When I started to experience signs of a mental breakdown similar to those other family members had, I was terrified.
At that time a friend, seeing my obvious distress, offered me a copy of a book that literally changed my life – “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy. It explained God as Mind, the source of all consciousness and intelligence.
As I read, I learned that everything the Bible teaches about God could also be applied to God as Mind. For example, in the Bible, God is referred to, among other things, as a refuge, a protector, a rock. So Mind, as a synonym of God, is a “rock,” characterized by strength, permanence, and reliability – an all-powerful divine consciousness that we can trust and rely on. Right there I found my source of mental stability, since the Bible and Science and Health both make plain that we are all the spiritual offspring of God. So we all include the qualities of our creator.
It began to dawn on me that my individual consciousness was a reflection of the divine Mind, and therefore could only express qualities such as clarity, peace, intelligence, and yes, stability. The prayer that freed me permanently from the specter of incurable mental illness was simply, “God is Mind, and I reflect that Mind. God cannot lose His Mind, therefore I can’t lose mine.”
Who doesn’t want to feel the rock-solid confidence that his or her mental equilibrium is a permanent fact because it comes from a rock-solid source? In his masterful healing work Christ Jesus showed that mental stability is the natural state of man. There are a number of accounts in the Bible where Jesus healed the insane. He demonstrated the power of Mind to bring peace and healing to those suffering from severe mental disorders. This healing power is with us today, and by understanding the truth that the divine Mind is the real and only source of consciousness for everyone, we can begin to feel a growing confidence in the foundation of stability for all mankind.
Many find prayer to be an effective help in all sorts of circumstances. Seeking a clearer understanding of what Mind is, and how God’s creation, man, actually expresses that Mind, enables one to experience an increasing sense of mental stability. As a pebble thrown in a pond sends ripples to the outer edge of the water, so our prayer and individual living of Mind’s reliable and available presence also ripples out and blesses others. My early prayer for my own need has evolved into a more universal one, “God is everyone’s Mind. God cannot lose His Mind therefore no one can lose theirs.” This kind of prayer heals and changes lives, bringing an increasing sense of stability to our world.