Catch the light

So much of what is needed in religion and health is often just a sweet sense of comfort — a tender word, a hug, or a sense that you are loved. There is much to be said for such a simple act.

I know when I faced a real sense of sadness, or sickness, what uplifted me was a lovely sense that I was cared for. Not just by friends and family (even though that certainly can help), but that I was loved by God, Life.

I admit that sometimes I get tricked into thinking that “life is tough.” Thinking this way can lead to feeling forelorn and lack, or ultimately feeling separate from God, good. But I have found it is important to understand that it is not God who is putting a burden on us, or that God is making us walk through the fire to test us, nor is He giving us “tough love.” No, none of this is from God.

Surprisingly, often what is happening (whether it’s a tough relationship, difficulty at work, money problems, health issues, etc.) is the result of what is happening mentally, in our own thought. There is something we are thinking and entertaining that is not good and causes the strife we see in our lives.

So how do we heal these situations?

For me, I like to start with the fact that God is Love. Reasoning out and thinking from this basis, I like to begin by affirming that I am loved by God. Secondly, I affirm that divine Love would never give me hateful, frustrated, or angry thoughts — these thoughts could never be part of divine Love, so I could never have these dreadful thoughts either.

Part of this reasoning is also based on Genesis 1:26, 27 — God made man (men and women) in His image and likeness. If we are Love’s image and likeness, Love’s reflection, we cannot have a single quality that is unlike God. Simply put, if God, Love, doesn’t have it we can’t either.

The book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, may be one of the best sources I have found that explains man’s true spiritual self as God’s image and likeness. So I definitely recommend adding it to your reading list. I find that it also gives me tools to pray better, understand the Bible on a deeper level, and it shows how Jesus healed so I can better emulate his good works.

With these tools, offered by the Bible and Science and Health, you’ll find that you’re better equipped to handle difficult situations because you’ll understand better that God is there with you — helping you, healing you, and holding you up each step of the way.

As you grow spiritually—understanding God’s goodness better and seeing yourself as God’s good reflection—you can expect more proof of harmony in your life: better health, improved relationships, and a more stable sense of peace. You’ll see your true identity, your spiritual self, unfold like spring leaves, as you seek and glimpse more of God’s light and love in your life.

Christian Science presents unfoldment, not accretion; it manifests no material growth from molecule to mind, but an impartation of the divine Mind to man and the universe.
—Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p.68 (read this online)