Category: Body/physical healing

Loving Ourselves

Published on by lindseybiggs1 Comment

I read an interesting article the other day.  It pointed out to love ourselves first, and then we will have the ability to love our neighbor as ourselves.[i] I feel this point is important when understood in a spiritual perspective.

If I see myself as the spiritual idea that God created – beautiful, useful, intelligent, filled with right ideas, creative, and shining – then I express that, and I’m able to see others that way.

On the contrary, if I’m not seeing myself spiritually, then I’m probably not going to see others spiritually as well.  If I only love myself a little bit or some of the time, than I’m only going to love my neighbor a little bit or some of the time.  We can see ourselves as the spiritual perfect man or woman that God created, and in that way we can be uplifted and help uplift others.

When we love ourselves as God’s child then we naturally bless and include others.  We radiate God’s light.  We see ourselves through the lens of Love, and we are able to see others in the same way.  Giving becomes easier.  We are more productive and appreciative.  We feel more spontaneity, energy and enthusiasm.

Negative thoughts about yourself are draining.  They take away our strength and lead to discouragement.  They may be regret, inadequacy, unworthiness, fear of failure, or lack of confidence.  On the other hand they may be self-righteousness or self-justification.  The type of attitude that says, “I don’t care what anyone else feels; I’m going to do it anyway”; Or it may be criticizing others so that we feel better.  This isn’t loving ourselves as God made us either.

We are each the beloved child of God.  God knows us as spiritual and perfect, eternally abiding in His kingdom.  “In Him we live and move and have our being”.[ii] Therefore we can never be apart from God or leave His side.  No mistake or accident from the past can taint us today.  We are “new-born”[iii] each day, and we can always “put on the new man”[iv].

I had the privilege of attending a Christian marriage seminar shortly after I was married.  Wonderful ideas were shared including this one that I like: we are 100% responsible for how we feel.  This takes pressure off your spouse or anyone else to be the one to please or make you happy.  And it takes pressure off of you to look for someone to make you feel good.

When we are responsible for how we feel, we are much nicer to be around and easier to get along with.  We don’t have to look to someone else for approval or satisfaction; we can look to God to know we are taking the right step and walking the right way.  We can check with God before we do or say anything.  And we know we are already loved.  I like revising the well-known Bible statement that says, “We love him, because he first loved us”[v] to say ‘we love ourselves, because God first loved us’.

Loving yourself is being obedient to God.  God made you and created you.  Loving yourself is acknowledging God’s wonderful creation.   It isn’t selfish at all.  And we are more valuable to Him when we see who we are as He/She created us to be – perfect and eternal in His/Her own spiritual image and likeness.

So let’s love ourselves today, and in that way we will truly be able to love others.

[i] Christian Science Sentinel, “A Promise of Progress”, T. Michael Fish, July 5, 2010

[ii] Holy Bible, King James Version, Acts 17:28

[iii] Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 35

[iv] Holy Bible, King James Version, Eph 4:24, Col 3:10

[v] Holy Bible, King James Version, I John 4:19

My Morning Runs

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

A couple of weeks ago I decided to start jogging in the morning with our dog. I’ve never liked exercise very much, so I decided to think about it from a more spiritual perspective. I realized that exercise is the expression of Life and activity. The definition of exercise is “to put into use” (Random House Dictionary). God is Life itself, and God’s creation reflects and expresses Him. I knew that life and vitality are a natural part of God’s kingdom.

So I headed out on my run. Well, by the second run I was very sore and my knee had started to hurt. In fact, I was having trouble running at all because my knee was troubling me.

The next morning I was feeling a lot clearer about things and a lot lighter, so I went out on a run again. As I was running, I prayed to know that spiritual being and existence are all there is, and that God is Spirit and God’s creation therefore entirely spiritual. I knew that if being is spiritual then everything pertaining to being, including running, creativity, joy and every faculty and function of existence, is spiritual, harmonious and perfect.

My run was joyful and peaceful that day. When I felt like walking, I did so, and I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery around me.

I have been running freely ever since, not for health reasons, but rather for the joy and freedom of expressing Life, God.

I’m so grateful for this new aspect of life that I get to enjoy!

Divine economy

Published on by lindseybiggs2 Comments

Reading a recent Christian Science Monitor article entitled, “Job numbers for May squelch some economic optimism”, got me thinking about the truth of our real economy. The Monitor’s founder writes, “mortals are hastening to learn that Life is God, good, and that evil has in reality neither place nor power in the human or the divine economy.” (Science and Health, p. 327)

If life is God, than life is infinite and unlimited. Life doesn’t know human times and conditions but is always the same. And if our real economy is divine, it never changes. It is always abundant with good. When we are governed by God, good, we can never see or experience lack. God, good, guides us in right business decisions, shows us the power of truth, honesty, morality and integrity and saves us from the subtle or aggressive temptation to cheat, steal, lie, be greedy or selfish. These “errors” in thought tip the human economy to the side of limit and lack.

However, if we are all governed by honesty, integrity, generosity, and gratitude than we are governed rightly and we can only experience God’s abundance and security. We have begun rightly because we are on the side of God and our true spiritual nature. God’s creation is already perfect, whole, and complete and includes all that is needed. Every need is provided and cared for by God, our Father. This is God’s job and God isn’t going to forget to care for His beloved children. So when we eliminate fear and worry or lack and limitation from our consciousness, we are naturally at-one with God’s law of harmony, supply, and goodness.

I experienced this in the last several months. I was recently married, changed careers, and moved across the country. Mortal mind, or the carnal mind as the Bible calls it, whispered predictions of failure, fear, lack and limitation into my thought. Sometimes they weren’t whispers and were more like aggressive yelling. But I held to the fact that existence is spiritual and comes from God. God naturally governs and cares for his creation and knows no seasons or times. That care is always – constant and consistent. If life is spiritual/God than every part of life including home, food, activity, entertainment, friendships, children are also spiritual.

Well my husband and I had to rely on much less of our savings than I had anticipated. And the income was simply there. I’m not even sure where it came from at times but it just never seemed depleted. I was amazed, and it reminded me of the Bible stories where Jesus fed the multitude out of a few loaves of bread and fishes and all were filled; and the story of the woman whom Elijah told to gather up vessels from her neighbors and they were all filled by Spirit so that she could sell the oil and pay off her debts and live off the rest. The Bible says, “And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” (II Kings 4:6).

I felt like this woman. And most recently we were able to buy a house. And even when we tried to skimp and save and get a smaller, cheaper house, God’s abundant goodness led us with the guidance and means to get a bigger and better house that would be more suitable for all of our needs. The transaction was so apparently divine inspired because it was such a blessing and harmonious for the owners, for us, and all involved in the unfoldment.

I am so grateful for God’s goodness and how He takes care of everything and has nothing but abundant goodness for all His children. And any temptation that comes to our thought saying otherwise is simply denying God’s allness and goodness. We can calmly and persistently rise above that suggestion and know we are safe and secure in God’s love and kingdom.