Repost: Lessons from sunflowers

Published on August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

This is a such a beautiful analogy. And a wonderful prayer for our political climate.

Sunflowers’ promise of hope and unity

by Janet Hegarty

When you travel through western Kansas in August, near the town of Goodland, you’ll see huge fields of sunflowers in full bloom. The sudden burst of bright yellow against the green landscape is stunning, but the behavior of the sunflowers is even more impressive. All of the flowers face toward the sun and move together in unity as they follow the sun throughout the day.

Against the backdrop of the current contentious political landscape, the thought of these sunflowers moving together in unity is refreshing. It stimulates hope that there might be a way to move beyond antagonistic, divisive political differences. Granted, the life of a flower is simple compared with the complexities of human existence, but I believe there’s much to learn about how we might establish harmony by considering the sunflower’s activity.

The flowers move in harmony because they are all seeking and finding the good they need from the same source. This is what unifies their actions. Their need for the sun is intrinsic. They naturally follow the sun, and their needs are supplied in the process.

Much political discord today comes from disparate points of view as to how the social and economic life in the United States should be managed. These conflicting ideas have polarized the country. This polarization has been so extreme at times that it has severely slowed the normal effective action of the government. Thinking of the sunflowers has made me wonder if there isn’t a higher source of good we could focus on that might unite us all in progressive activity.

Olympic ideals and today’s Christianity

Published on July 31, 2012August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

This post was originally published on time4thinkers.com.

olympics — http://time4thinkers.com/olympic-ideals-win-gold/

Olympic ideals win gold

By Mark Sappenfield

The Olympics are coming—a great, big, supersize portion of national pride mixed in with amazing athletes, their even more amazing stories, and a healthy side of corporate sponsorship, all neatly wrapped in a bow nightly by Bob Costas.

We love the Olympics. NBC would not have spent $4.4 billion to broadcast the next four after London if we didn’t. But as London prepares—spending more than $14 billion itself and even considering putting missile launchers atop local roofs for security—the question arises: What are the Olympics, really?

Our God-given freedom

Published on July 4, 2012 by lindseybiggs3 Comments

I once heard an analogy about a slave who worked for his master. He was unaware that the laws of the land had changed and he was no longer legally a slave. And no one told him. So he kept working for his master day in and day out.

To me, the point in this allegory is that even though God made us free, we have to know we are free in order to experience the benefits of that freedom.

Christ Jesus famously stated:

“…ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8 KJV)

What is Truth? This is a question that each person has to answer individually; but I believe we are each God’s child, and our tender, loving divine Mother-Father has given us freedom – freedom from sickness, disease, sin, limitation, lack, and sorrow. This is what Christ Jesus showed us.

We may think of freedom as democracy and individual rights. That is certainly one aspect of freedom. But we aren’t completely free until we realize that the material senses – the limitations, lack, sickness and death that are presented to us – cannot bind us.

When Jesus spoke of freedom the people around him said, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:33-34 NKJV)

“Truth brings the elements of liberty. On its banner is the Soul-inspired motto, ‘Slavery is abolished.’ The power of God brings deliverance to the captive. No power can withstand divine Love. What is this supposed power, which opposes itself to God? Whence cometh it? What is it that binds man with iron shackles to sin, sickness, and death? Whatever enslaves man is opposed to the divine government. Truth makes man free.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddy, p. 224)

Freedom comes from knowing God and knowing who man is – made in the image and likeness of divine Love.

The following excerpt is the most complete, detailed and pure description of man that I have ever come across:

“Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements…Man is spiritual and perfect…Man is idea, the image, of Love…that which has no separate mind from God; that which has not a single quality underived from Deity; that which possesses no life, intelligence, nor creative power of his own, but reflects spiritually all that belongs to his Maker…Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddy, p. 475)

I’ve prayed with this description of man since I was a child and it has freed me from sickness, fear, lust, addiction, and lack.

Once we see and know who we are, we will never again believe anything that tries to say otherwise. When we know God, how loved we are and that God made each of us spiritually and perfectly, we won’t believe anything that goes against that relationship.

Each day we can celebrate our independence and freedom from material limitations.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 NKJV