Category: Mental health/wellness

Our God-given freedom

Published on 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

God’s “pruning” of our lives

Published on by lindseybiggs3 Comments


When I first started gardening the idea of pruning was intimidating to me. How do you know where to prune? Doesn’t it hurt the bush or tree?

Now, I’m amazed at how pruning works. It’s like saying, “Nope, that’s a dead-end ” and the shrub or tree will then grow in a new way. It doesn’t stop or limit growth because new growth is always happening.

God works a similar way in our lives. God lovingly shows us where the dead-end roads are in life so that we can avoid wasting energy going that way. These dead-end roads consist of materiality – material living and thinking – such as a love of money, looking to material possessions for satisfaction, looking to a human being to complete us, looking to a human body to tell us how happy and healthy we are, and comparing ourselves with others to determine how successful we are. These are just a few but there are many dead-end roads we may discover.

Christ Jesus advised, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)

When you prune a shrub, you are helping the shrub to fulfill its purpose. You probably planted the shrub for a reason: to help create privacy or to cover something unattractive or just to have something lively and pretty to enjoy. Whatever the reason is, pruning – and starting early on – will help the plant grow into something beautiful and useful.

God’s pruning of our thought takes a way thoughts and desires that would be harmful to us and others so that we can have productive, beautiful and useful thoughts. These thoughts are then expressed in right actions and exemplified in our lives.

Work…does it have to be laborious?

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment


The word “work” often has a negative connotation when one is thinking about something they have to do or a job they need to go to. It may be prefaced with “ugh” or some other deliberation.

Actually, our “work” is something that is natural to us – glorifying and expressing God! There isn’t any labor or heaviness associated with this. In fact, expressing God’s qualities – joy, compassion, creativity, grace, love, wisdom – actually gives us energy! I’m sure we’ve all experienced instances of this whether you’re an artist, business person or stay-at-home parent; it’s when you get that moment of clarity – a new insight or solution to a problem – and a burst of energy comes with it.

Expressing God, consciously embodying spiritual qualities in thought and acting on them throughout the day, gives us renewal and clarity.

So let’s not think of work as anything but expressing and glorifying God. This comes so naturally and easily to us. It will make our day invigorated with energy and hope and we will come across many opportunities to give to others.

Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Constant toil, deprivations, exposures, and all untoward conditions, if without sin, can be experienced with out suffering. Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself.”

“You say, ‘Toil fatigues me.’ But what is this me? Is it muscle or mind? Which is tired and so speaks? Without mind, could the muscles be tired?…You do not say a wheel is fatigued; and yet the body is as material as the wheel. If it were not for what the human mind says of the body, the body, like the inanimate wheel, would never be weary. The consciousness of Truth rests us more than hours of repose in unconsciousness.”

Christ Jesus says,

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Luke 12:27-28 NIV

It is worry and fretting which make us tired. Fearing a mentally projected outcome makes a project/job daunting.

However, we rest on God’s law of harmony. Harmony is a natural activity; it fills all space and governs all things regardless of background, age, gender, etc. We don’t have to make harmony go into effect. It always is. The law of harmony enforces itself.

So whether you are working on a project or some other task, you can go forward knowing that you already have everything you need. God’s spiritual qualities that you express are adequate for any situation you will find yourself in.

“…those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31 NKJV