Alienation isn’t inevitable
Consecrated prayer to understand God’s love for each of us can lead us out of boxed-in, lonely thinking.
It’s a marvel to connect with and see family, friends, or coworkers through technological platforms – anytime, anywhere. But despite all these connection possibilities, reports indicate that a sense of alienation and loneliness doesn’t appear to be lessening.
Maybe you have been in situations where even though being with people, you have felt completely alone. One particular time when I was in my 20s, I was with a group of people at a gathering, yet felt completely invisible and voiceless. A sense of alienation blazed in my thought so strongly that it left me stunned.
I realized afterward that the experience mirrored my outlook on life at the time – I felt a lack of meaning and connection, as well as an uncertain sense of where I fit within a world of many others.
A number of years previous to the above experience, Christian Science – based on inspired biblical truths and Jesus’ revolutionary teachings and healings – had opened to me a totally new view of God’s goodness. So when this sense of alienation engulfed me, I began to pray. I sensed that truly alleviating feelings of alienation would come from an inner discovery of our inseparable relation to God, divine Love itself.
As a Bible prophet heard it, “The Lord appeared to me in a faraway place and said, ‘I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3, GOD’S WORD translation). An everlasting, unbreakable love! This was especially meaningful to me, emphasizing that no matter how far we feel from a sense of warmth and love, God is – and has always been – right there with us.
Even in what may feel like a “faraway place,” God is tenderly and constantly caring for us, making us aware of His tenderness for all of us as His spiritual offspring. The Bible points to the divine parentage of God not only as Father, but also as Mother. As the previous translation puts it, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).
In her main book, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy – the discoverer of Christian Science – sheds this light on the experience of the Apostle Paul, a follower of Jesus’ teachings: “Spiritual man is the image or idea of God, an idea which cannot be lost nor separated from its divine Principle. When the evidence before the material senses yielded to spiritual sense, the apostle declared that nothing could alienate him from God, from the sweet sense and presence of Life and Truth” (pp. 303-304).
Paul, who faced his share of persecution, never lost sight of his unity with God during those troubled times. We, too, can genuinely take hold of the indissolubility of our relation to God, Spirit, and experience in palpable ways the love She is pouring out each moment. At times feelings of alienation can seem immovable, but we can always count on God, who fills every corner of our lives with good. In fact, expressing God’s limitless love and goodness is our fundamental nature.
Inspired by these ideas, I strove to base all my activities and interactions on this spiritual reality – the one actual reality – in order to bring to light the true substance of my life. It helped to dispel the mistaken concept that we are so many mortals who can be separated or opposed to one another. It opened the way for me to see others as God’s children, uniquely expressing the spiritual qualities – such as harmony and kindness – that God gives to each of us.
I saw that disaffection and indifference couldn’t possibly come from God, and therefore are divested of legitimacy and authority. And within a year, a new career opened up, bringing with it opportunities for more meaningful relationships and service.
Wherever we may be – shopping, at a family gathering, and even in our solitary moments – God’s love is in our midst, ready to bless us with a tangible sense of unity and peace.