This is a beautiful post published on The Christian Science Monitor website.
“Time – too little or too much – can be opposite ends of the same stick, the heart’s yearning to live a life that’s full but not frantic, happy instead of haphazard, purposeful without stress.” Read more…
I’ve been thinking a lot about sustainability.
Part of the metaphysical definition for Earth in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures says:
“To material sense, earth is matter; to spiritual sense, it is a compound idea.”
From this spiritual sense perspective, Earth is an expression of Spirit and Life. It is made up of God’s diversity and creativity, and every aspect of Earth, as an idea, is always perfect, harmonious and eternal.
Because the Earth is God’s self-expression, we can have an enlarged appreciation for the diversity, beauty and harmony of Earth. From trees we learn of strength and stability; from flowers we learn of joy and playfulness; from the sun we learn of warmth, comfort and energy.
All of the glories of the Earth are a way for us to know more about the perfection, wonder and infinite nature of the Creator.
So, in being a better steward and citizen of the Earth our motives can be love and appreciation for God’s spiritual Earth. We can be grateful that we can perceive the infinite nature of Life in a way that is tangible and appreciable to the human consciousness, and always see that these manifestations of life have their source in Spirit, eternal Life.
I’m enjoying taking actions to support those individuals and businesses which have these values of appreciation in mind when doing their business. Today, it can be so easy for businesses to get mesmerized into focusing completely on making more money; or as an individual we may focus on cutting corners or finding things cheaply regardless of where they came from.
But what an invitation to see that as stewards of the Earth, and children of God, the qualities of integrity, brotherly love, patience and sustainability are part of who we are.
During these tough economic times, we are called to understand that our supply comes 100% from God, good, and therefore doesn’t depend on us cutting corners, pillaging valuable resources, or destroying beneficial relationships.
Christ Jesus said:
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness [or right thinking], and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6, NKJV)
“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?…If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11 NKJV)
When Jesus’ students told him to send the crowds home because they had been listening to Jesus’ teachings all day and were hungry, Jesus told them they didn’t have to leave. They would be fed by staying in the Christ-light. In other words, we never have to leave the Holy Spirit in order to find food and money. He fed the crowds right there, out of his abundance, so they never had to leave Christ. God says we don’t have to leave Him (His qualities of integrity, virtue, honesty, compassion, brotherly love, justice) in order to make money. What a protection to us!
Jesus responded to temptation by saying: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV) In other words, man does not live by matter but by every impulsion, characteristic and direction of Spirit.
As you are governed by these spiritual character traits of God, you are naturally governed in harmony with all of God’s creation. And everyone, including the Earth, reaps the blessings of your obedience.
My husband and I are continuing a landscaping project we started last fall. When we initially considered this project it was overwhelming. There was the space we had to consider as well as the aesthetic look, practical needs and our budget. How could we get the best results without exceeding our budget, or making mistakes and having to redo the landscaping?
We had a landscape consultant helps us with the big picture. We wanted to do the planting, expanding and decorating ourselves to save on cost and to learn more about the value and skills of homeownership.
We could then focus on priorities. This was very important because we didn’t have the time or money to do the whole project at once.
This reminded me of man’s spiritual journey through life. If we look at ourself, our understanding, the world and all that needs to be accomplished, we might feel overwhelmed. Feeling this way often prevents us from even getting started, being apathetic or feeling like what we have to offer is of little value compared to the all that needs to be done. But as I’m learning through this landscape project – planting a tree here and there, fertilizing and watching it grow – we see how each part that we accomplish affects the whole. In fact, with each part that we accomplish we can step back, look at the big picture again, and see if any adjustments need to be made. What have we learned? Can we adjust our route or strategy?
And then we see that each part is actually a valuable, integral part of the whole. Each part is needed to help us see the full picture. And with each part we gain the ideas, lessons and skills we need to continue in a more productive, effective way.
I think about all that the prophets and spiritual leaders have accomplished to help humanity gain a clearer sense of the allness and tangible presence of Spirit, Life, Truth and Love. They each had a spiritual journey of learning and growing – of God’s nature being revealed to their consciousness. If they had stopped, or failed to get started, we wouldn’t have the spiritual understanding of being that we do today.
Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer and teacher from the late 1800’s – early 1900’s wrote:
“[Divine] Science reveals the possibility of achieving all good, and sets mortals at work to discover what God has already done; but distrust of one’s ability to gain the goodness desired and to bring out better and higher results, often hampers the trial of one’s wings and ensures failure at the outset.”¹
“We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives. Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love — the kingdom of heaven — reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear.”²
Even though we have a lot of growing to do, like my garden, we can still succeed with each step we take along the way.
¹ Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 260
² Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 248
Spirituality & Healing 