Inspiration from Bible text

Published on November 2, 2017November 1, 2017 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”… God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.

Genesis 1:27, 28, 31 NRSV

This Bible text has new meaning for me this week. There is the literal interpretation of the text “be fruitful and multiply” meaning to procreate. But what about if we can’t procreate, if we are beyond our child-bearing years or we just don’t want children? Does the text not apply? How about if we look at the text from a spiritual interpretation?

“Be fruitful” can signify fertility, but it can also have a larger meaning. Be useful. Be effective. Be constructive. Be worthwhile. Be helpful. Be beneficial. Be rewarding. Live a life that is well-spent. God is calling us to be productive, valuable, and rewarding.

This doesn’t mean be busy bodies.

Rushing around smartly is no proof of accomplishing much.*

It’s really about acknowledging the productivity that is already part of your day. It is already established. We are just awake and responding to it.

Success in life depends upon persistent effort, upon the improvement of moments more than upon any other one thing…If one would be successful in the future, let him make the most of the present.*

This reminds me of a time when I was seeking additional employment. I was looking for more expansive ways to use my talents as well as for additional financial income for my family.

I wrote down a list of all the spiritual qualities I felt I expressed naturally. Some of these included creativity, discipline, organization, attention to detail, energy, activity, love of community, etc. You could say I was writing a spiritual resume and becoming more aware of my spiritual identity. I called a friend who lived in another state and inquired if she knew of anyone hiring within our church organization. She informed she did know of someone, and they had just brought up my name as a possibility. When she sent me the job description, it included all of the qualities I had listed on my spiritual resume. I knew it would be a perfect fit. I interviewed for the job and was able to work remotely from my home. I started just a few weeks later. This work continued to be a blessing over the next few years.

The last part of the Bible text states that God saw everything he made and it was “very good”. This “very good” text is particularly noteworthy. Good means beneficial and useful. So, we are beneficial and useful to God, and we are beneficial and useful to the needs of society today.

20171030_210802 — This is a poster I passed by one day. Credit belongs to someone besides me.

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

Are you being affected by people’s opinions?

Published on April 27, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

Are you being ogled?

by Mark Sappenfield, Staff Writer for The Christian Science Monitor

I came across an article with a provocative headline the other day. It read, “Study: Ogling women makes them worse at math.” Basically, the study wanted to figure out what happened when men and women felt objectified, something the researchers defined as people being “judged on body parts or sexual function without regard to other aspects of their personality.” So several members of the study team were trained to stare at men and women in an inappropriate way, then the men and women were asked to take a math test.

The women who were objectified did worse than women in a control group who were not. (The men showed no difference.) Moreover, other research has shown that women do worse on math tests when they are told before starting: “Girls are bad at math.”

We often think of contagion as being a process of microbes and viruses. But how often do we think about mental contagion? Yes, we admit that we are influenced by our friends, our parents, our co-workers. Still, these studies are shocking – showing the degree to which we unconsciously allow others’ thoughts to shape our experience. This is mental tyranny, and thankfully it is something that we can summarily reject.

How? We can start by understanding our origin and nature. Mary Baker Eddy, the author of “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” (see p. 525), refers to the Icelandic Bible translation of this verse from the first chapter of Genesis: “And God said, Let us make man after our mind and our likeness; and God shaped man after His mind; after God’s mind shaped He him; and He shaped them male and female” (verse 27).

So all that we are is the likeness of God’s mind. We are not a body to be ogled or a brain of doubtful mathematical aptitude. We are an image of God’s thought, and the allness of God precludes the intrusion of anything unlike this perfect likeness in this image. This frees us from aggressive mental intrusion… Read more