Reblog: ‘Citizens of the world’

Beautiful blog post and prayer…

Reblog: ‘Citizens of the world’

by Virginia Harris, CSB

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right.”

Imagine…when this was written by Mary Baker Eddy about 125 years ago, the concept of ‘nationalism’ was newly popular in the United States. The country had recently emerged from the effects of a devastating civil war that sorely tested the coherent identity of the young nation. As a result, celebrating the civil and religious freedom from England each July 4th became a celebration of the unbroken unity of the nation. Read more

Self-sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Many people enjoy a federal holiday and some may reflect on the significance of this day.

Regardless of the diverse opinions out there about war, the military and patriotism, each person who has served in the military and each civilian are united by Christly qualities. It is the Christ which impels us to give unselfishly — to sacrifice ourselves so that others may experience some happiness and good. This sacrifice may come by serving in the military, as a schoolteacher, giving to a non-profit, or devoting one’s life to helping others in some way. We each give self-sacrifices of time, patience, money, and devotion to one another everyday, for which I am grateful.

These qualities and the impulsion to do so doesn’t come from who we are humanly; it comes from deep within our divine nature. It is God who is impelling us to give, guiding us, blessing us and replenishing us. It speaks of our eternal identity, which He created, that is all-good, skilful in expressing divine intelligence, compassion and integrity.

It is this eternal identity which unites all of us in appreciation, love, and forgiveness for one another. We have a deep well of divine strength that we can draw on each moment. This Source gives us solutions and answers to the problems we face and the skill to act on them. It is a deep spiritual love, compassion and integrity which unites us all.

Thanks to everyone who serves in whatever capacity they feel divinely led to do. Your self-sacrifice blesses you and all the world.

How health relates to thought

In today’s world it seems like a lot depends on your health. Poor health can interfere with your job — or your job can interfere with your health.

A revolutionary thinker and healer in the world of health, Mary Baker Eddy, stated: “Health is not a condition of matter, but of Mind.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures)

She talks about Mind as a synonym for God – the true consciousness and intelligence of the universe which is always governing us.

I’ve had several experiences which have shown me that health is a state of consciousness; it’s not a condition of my body.

One time I was feeling guilty about a situation with a friend. This guilt manifested itself in flu-like symptoms and I was nauseous and vomiting. Because I know that my thought governs my body, I looked deeply into my thoughts and drew closer to God/Spirit in consciousness. I didn’t get distracted by thinking this was a physical problem that needed a physical solution such as medication or other material means. I knew it would be resolved mentally. So, I drew closer in thought to the one Source of all good, Love, and purity. Being so close to Spirit mentally showed me how disturbed I was feeling by this situation with a friend. I prayed for the courage to remedy the situation. After I confessed what I thought I had done wrong and apologized to my friend (who graciously accepted my apology and hadn’t been phased by the situation at all), I felt completely well. The guilty thoughts, which had not come from God and were not a natural part of me, were gone, and my health immediately returned to normal.

This shows me that what we think, and what we are exposed to mentally, determines the state of our body.

Fortunately, because God is Mind, we always have a refuge — a state of thought — to reach up to which is higher than our own. We don’t have to try to “get there” humanly; we can let this Mind rule our thoughts.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” Phil 2:5

So, if you’re in a situation where it seems like your employment is dependant on your health or your health is dependant on your employment, recognize that your health is instead dependent on Mind. You have the right and ability to have complete freedom, health and harmony right now.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Gal 5:1