Finding hope, courage, and strength in 2012

This may be late coming, but I had to address this: not everyone may feel that the new year has any more hope or opportunity for good than the last. 

For those who feel like this my heart goes out to you. I’ve been there. I know that it may feel like “just another year.”

For me, courage (like knowledge) is power. And I’m not talking about personal power, or self-will. Courage, when based on something bigger than ourselves, gives us the strength to move forward, grow, and find that life does move on—that there are new opportunities out there, new ideas to behold, and that getting out of the rut, whatever it may be, is possible.

Whenever I’ve faced a challenge — whether it felt like just a mental block, or was scarier like illness or financial distress, I realized I needed a new perspective.

To get this new perspective I didn’t have to drive some where, or go on vacation. I simply got quiet and started with prayer. I’ve found that the tranquility and calm of prayer always turns my thought from fear and moves it to calm, and from calm to hope, and then from hope to understanding. 

Understanding? Yes! :-) Understanding includes this definition: “an individual’s perception or judgment of a situation.”

I’ve always found that as my thought moves forward, away from dread toward a comprehension of safety, my thought naturally aligns with divine Love or divine Mind, God, who understands my well-being to be forever safe, entirely protected. From there God gives us the courage and the ability to comprehend and trust that my life, my health, even my finances were (and are) entirely under God’s care.

By turning to the Mind of God, rather than my own opinions, I’ve seen things turn around. In tough situations I found solutions to answers I couldn’t see because I felt buried by fear, or overwhelmed with worry. 

So I invite you, throughout the year 2012, to find more of the good around you by turning your thought into a new, or renewed, direction toward divine Mind, the source of infinite goodness. This goodness is not withheld from some and given to others. This infinite goodness, “heaven,” is with you right now. Christ Jesus declared this in the Gospel of Luke, when he said, “The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21)” 

Be unafraid to turn away from the limited circumstances that seem to paralyze your thought, and find the infinite power of God that is with you this very moment and will never leave you. By turning to God, you will see how divine Mind uplifts your thought to see and understand the divine view of permanent safety and complete protection from all danger, worry, and distress. 

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
—Deuteronomy 31:6 

Running with wings

Running down a public path, along side the Charles River in Waltham, is one of my favorite activities. I find the peace and beauty to be very refreshing. I also find that running is a helpful way to take advantage of the day and enjoy being outside.

There are many different routes I take throughout my town, but all of them take me to this beautiful river path at some point.

Just as I love to run in a beautiful place, I’ve found thinking harmonious thoughts are also something I like listening to while I run.  This led me to a question: what kind of thoughts, or spiritual scenery, do I want to behold while running —beauty or ugliness?A view of the Charles River from the running path.

This lead me to an analogy: witnessing beautiful qualities is like running through a beautiful scene.

To help unpack this I realized that while I’m trotting down the road, I often think of the spiritual side of running. In other words, I take into account the God-like qualities that I associate with activity and excercise: strength, grace, harmony, peace, and joy. 

This is where I like to be. This beautiful view makes me feel good.

I admit sometimes there are tough days. On those days I find I may be acceptiong opinions about the physical side of running: how my body feels, how out-of-shape I feel, or what I’m doing wrong. When I recognize that trend in mind, that’s when I recognize that I’m unconsciously flowing down a stream of ugly thoughts toward a waterfall of negativity. 

That’s also when I realize it’s time to wake up! I don’t want to go down that unconscious stream toward a scary waterfall. 

Rather I can change course immediately with a single thought. 

I’ve learned that these false opinions can be rejected by simply acknowledging that God is my Life and source of being, harmony, and strength. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy showed me that all adverse suggestions are temporary because they are not from God, divine Mind— the Creator of every benign idea. And when I’ve listened for and held onto good ideas about God and myself, those untrue opinions dissipated quickly and lost their grip in my thought and I felt harmonious immediately. 

I’ve seen this over and over: freedom is quickly won through Christian Science, God’s loving power, which upholds, strengthens, and frees us from disease and pain.  

Next time you take a stroll, go for a jog, or are just heading into work in the car, be listening for only good ideas that lift up your thought and help you soar.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
—Isaiah 40:28-31