Keeping our strength and soft edges
We can look to God for the peace of mind, inspiration, and strength to handle whatever kinds of challenges come our way in life – and to do so with patience and joy.
What does it take to feel strong as we go forward in life, while remaining good-natured and kind with others instead of too rough around the edges? Well, I’ve found that there’s something about a spiritual focus that tends to bring answers, carry us past even the toughest of circumstances, and help us find ways to handle what comes along – without being crabby about it.
I’m not saying that I’ve reached the peak of strength and joy, but I’ve found a way to keep them in my sights more consistently, thanks to Christian Science. That’s the well-ordered basis of spiritual thinking and living that Jesus taught and that the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, really elucidated.
Quoting Jesus, Mrs. Eddy wrote, “He said, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ ... Fidelity to his precepts and practice is the only passport to his power; and the pathway of goodness and greatness runs through the modes and methods of God” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 270).
Jesus showed through his healing ministry how getting to know God brings “goodness and greatness” – including victories over moral troubles and disease. We all have something good and significant to bear witness to and to help move forward. It’s related to God, divine Love, the infinite Spirit. It’s in the expression of God’s qualities, in the way of grace and peace and purpose.
God, Love, is something real, and we’re all able to express Him. In fact, as God’s spiritual offspring, we’re created to reflect the wonderful qualities of divine Love. And recognizing and living our true nature is so needed in helping bring out evidence of the wholly spiritual and good universe that God has created and maintains, in which illness and frustration have no place. It’s the “passport” to the divine healing power that Jesus demonstrated.
One winter day, I was in a car accident that ruined my vehicle and left me quite sore. That night, life seemed hard. I felt weak and snippy. But I knew from experience that there was a way out of this. I decided to spend that night on the sofa and think of it as a time to pray.
As I prayed to remember and feel the qualities of God, which we have to take part in and share, I got a renewed focus on being moved by God, expressing God, rather than seeing myself as an injured, annoyed mortal. I felt a conviction that good thoughts would surely keep coming from God and then move me in good ways.
By morning, I was physically well and also felt a renewed mental strength that enabled me to not only resolve the situation with the damaged car but do so with patience and grace. And through my practice of Christian Science, there has been an ongoing series of events like this – where I find the strength, healing, and hope that keep me rebounding and sharing a smile, even when faced with difficulties.
Jesus gave this statement that’s helpful to keep in mind: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Help we need comes in being an active witness to the spiritual qualities that God expresses in us, such as strength and joy. This happens in thought, in consciousness, through prayer.
Then, any preoccupation with human, material reasoning is minimized. We realize that we don’t need to give in to notions that our joy, strength, health, patience, or prospects are a function of circumstances beyond our control. Through alertness to the qualities of God inherent in each of us, we’re able to better live those qualities and to defy limiting, material notions, circumstances, or expectations about our capacity to do so. We witness and experience God’s power and presence.
Our being as expressions of God’s great spiritual qualities plays out in the form of an ever-growing love. Putting this into practice helps keep us from being thrown by what the world may throw at us, because the world is not the basis of our identity, strength, or joy – God is.
We can all share something of the life God created for us, which is all about bringing forward God’s love, and then more fully experiencing this love.