Category: Employment/jobs

Original Good

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

I listened to a great audio chat on spirituality.com Tuesday  (“What is True Manhood?” by David Stevens, CSB) that referred to the Adam and Eve story as the story of original good.

I love this idea because it shows the inherent goodness of man and woman.  Man and woman were created good, in God’s own image and likeness.  To me, the story of Adam and Eve describes the nature of the serpent – that which tries to entice our thought into believing we aren’t the spiritual, beloved children of God.  It might say that God isn’t our creator, so therefore God isn’t going to take care of us.

What a lie is this.  The entire burden of thinking we have to care for ourselves can be lifted off when we realize that God is our divine, loving parent, our Father-Mother.  It is God’s job to supply us with all that we need – to eat, to be clothed, to express our purpose, and even the proper functioning of our bodies.  And God does do this.

Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer and teacher (1821-1910), wrote, “Is civilization only a higher form of idolatry, that man should bow down to a flesh-brush, to flannels, to baths, diet, exercise, and air?”[i]

Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”[ii]

This points us to God, the source of all goodness.  We are each the beloved child of God.  And abundant goodness, harmony, happiness, purpose and health are the rights of our being and existence.  And there isn’t a being or existence that doesn’t include these attributes, since God is the one and only creator.

All the good that God includes, we include, too, as His reflection.  We have this spiritually, within our relationship, our oneness to God.  When we try to obtain these things materially, we discover they aren’t lasting and are fleeting.

Keeping our eye on God, we cannot be enticed by the serpent (or suggestions in our consciousness).  We find original good and only good to be all there is and all that we can experience.

[i] Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 174

[ii] Holy Bible, King James Version, Matthew 6:31

Person versus Principle

Published on by lindseybiggs2 Comments

Today I’ve been working (mentally) on seeing and knowing that there is only one Person!  In fact the limitation of any school of thought or religion comes from too great of a sense of person instead of Principle.  When we focus our thought on Principle, we are seeing what God is doing and knowing; we are seeing the Truth and a greater, expansive sense of Life.  Too great of a sense of person or personality separate our thought from the one God who is also the one Person.

There is one Mind, one Ego, or consciousness.  And everything is the manifestation of this one Mind.  Everything is in essence made up of God’s thoughts, God’s ideas, and what God sees and knows.

Does this mean that our being and existence is annihilated?  On the contrary, we are each the individual expression of the One Being.  God is the substance, nature, and essence of who we are.  We are essentially made up of spiritual qualities – love, joy, peace, harmony, creativity, spontaneity, life, vitality, energy, principle, honesty, integrity, and so on.  Each of us expresses Deity in a truly unique way – and this is our identity and individuality.  God’s creation or manifestation wouldn’t be complete with out each and everyone one of us.  Which is why we exist permanently and eternally in divine Mind.

That which is based on person instead of Principle is erroneous.  For instance to believe that Jesus as a person is our personal savior is limiting.  But to realize that his teachings are what saves us – what destroys evil and sin – is what enables us to “go and do likewise”[i] as he instructed.

“Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.”[ii] Here again, Jesus is pointing us to God; he was always trying to get us to look to God, follow God, and be obedient to God.  If we worship a person, other than the one Person or Principle, which is God, this is idolatry.  Jesus was teaching and revealing a Principle.  And when we look to that Principle we get the same results he did.

Stephen, Philip, and Paul all did the same.  They didn’t know Jesus personally, they weren’t taught by him personally, but that didn’t change the effect of his teachings because his teachings were based on a Principle.  They preached the “good news” and healed many that were sick or diseased.

Does Principle change?  Has it disappeared and gone away?  No.  Just as the principle of math doesn’t ever go anywhere, so divine Principle is still here, present, and applicable.  As we look to Principle, we see more of what God is doing, seeing, and knowing.  And anything that comes to our thought as another person other than God, the one Person, is false and stems from evil or what some call the “devil” which doesn’t have substance or reality.  These thoughts may come up like “she is bad” or “I feel sick” always presenting themselves as another ego.

Paul says, “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:”[iii]

Here Paul is denying this ego or being separate from God.  He is saying that it is the Christ – the spirit of God – that makes up his identity and individuality.  And therefore he is and can only be and do like God.

And the same is true for us.

[i] Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p. 25

[ii] The Holy Bible – King James Version John 12:44

[iii] The Holy Bible – King James Version Galatians 2:19

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.