I’ve never really been a shy person; I was even called a “social butterfly” in elementary school. And many people today would be surprised to find that I dealt with shyness.
There came a time when I felt incredibly shy. I didn’t enjoy it much because I didn’t feel like myself. So I decided to seek a spiritual solution to this problem as I do with many challenges.
I talked with a Christian Science Practitioner who told me she had dealt with shyness herself. And through the help of her mother and prayer she was healed of this problem.
This was encouraging. She shared the idea that shyness is really a type of selfishness because you are thinking about yourself instead of the other person. She suggested that I try to love everyone around me.
Well I instantly felt a lot better, feeling confident that there was a spiritual solution, and that it was something as enjoyable as loving more.
Over the years I worked on this. I found cherishing each person’s spiritual identity, and striving to listen to them, to what they’re saying and also to what they are not saying (to what their heart was calling out for) to be a blessing.
When I loved the person I was talking to, the way God feels about them, I was able to listen, be more sensitive, and really enjoy each friendship.
In fact, striving to listen a lot more throughout my day, even when there is only silence around me, enables me to hear God’s voice which tells me who I might bless and leads activities throughout my day.
A teaching of Christian Science is that God is Mind (which Paul refers to in the New Testament). And because God is all and is good, He or She must be the only real Mind. This Mind is always clear, uplifted, meek, patient, kind and compassionate. When I realize that this is the true Mind, then all the other mental “noise” quiets down, and I can listen clearly.
There are still situations that I find uncomfortable, as most humans do. But sometimes it’s because someone else might be feeling uncomfortable, hostile or unloved. Being aware of this helps me support each individual in feeling safe, secure, and loved.
It’s a joy to have positive interactions with people and has been such a blessing to me as well as to others.
I’m grateful that there are harmonious solutions to situations like these. And it can be as simple as opening up to a greater awareness of Divinity and Her spiritual image and likeness – man and woman.
Spirituality & Healing 