Tag: meditation

Being awake to God’s goodness and love

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

It can be hard to keep awake mentally and spiritually with so many technological and other distractions. Even though Christ Jesus lived so many years ago, he gave us practical wisdom to deal with these distractions. He said,

“what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”*

Watch our thinking. Be mindful. Be proactive in thought. Watch what is going and coming from our consciousness. Much of our spiritual practice consists of being watchful of our thought: what am I focusing on? Is this really helping me progress? How is my relationship with God? How am I thinking about my fellow humans? Is this promotive of my spiritual identity? What am I believing truly has power in the world?

Being watchful and aware of our consciousness is a great practice to cultivate. Better health, more harmonious relationships, and greater opportunities come from being alert. They stem from our oneness with God and are inherent in our relationship with God.

God’s will for us is freedom, harmony, and joy. We can experience these as we draw closer to God and become more aware of God. This is a daily practice — moment by moment. We can always be checking in — am I focused on divine Truth, Life, and Love right now? How can I be a healing presence in this moment? Can I magnify the good? As we are more mindful of our own thoughts, we inevitably bring healing and bless those around us. We will uplift the atmosphere at the office, we will bring healing to our family relationships, we will comfort and strengthen ourselves and others.

When his students asked Jesus what some of the essential ingredients were to healing, he replied “prayer and fasting”. (Matthew 17:21) Fasting doesn’t have to be only about food. The definition of fasting can be expanded to include anything that would detract our attention from Spirit; anything that would take our focus off good. This could mean depriving ourselves from being news junkies and tuning in to what God is saying; or depriving ourselves of selfishness and being more generous; it could mean depriving ourselves of worry and doubt by focusing more on faith and trust. We can fast from materialism and anything that would try to captivate our attention — anything that doesn’t allow our thought to move forward towards progress, health, and healing. This type of fasting doesn’t deprive us of anything. Rather it allows us to “feast” on God! It keeps us so focused on God, that we become better, more satisfied, healthier, and happier.

Spiritual author and teacher, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote to a student,

“Keep awake by loving more.”**

Loving God primarily, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, keeps us awake to God’s presence. It keeps us tuned in to God, to be aware of all that God, good, is saying to us. God’s guidance and love are like radio waves filling the atmosphere — we just need to tune in to hear exactly the right message. Being awake to Spirit, enables us to see and know who we really are, helps us feel the love and peace of God’s presence, and inspires us with right activities that bless and heal the world.

So, we don’t have to blend in with the crowd — doing what others do and thinking what others think. We have power and authority over our life and consciousness. We can take our thinking into our own hands and feel the peace, love, and assurance coming straight to us from the Divine. We know that God’s will for us is only peace, only goodness, only love, courage, and strength. And we can bring these into our experience by keeping them close in our thought.

Know, then, that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly, and that nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love.***

*Matthew 13:37
**We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Vol II, p. 117
***Pulpit and Press, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 3
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Fresh new beginnings

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

In the New Year, many people are thinking about new ways to do things, setting new goals, and ushering in a sense of freshness and new beginnings. But how do we sustain that throughout the year? I have found that a daily dose of fresh inspiration from contemplative prayer in the morning to be the best way to start my day off right with refreshing and inspiring views.

These views hint to the divine nature — enable me to glimpse beyond the material picture — to a deeper sense of spiritual harmony, goodness, and joy — a force for Good that is powerfully and wonderfully sustaining each of us.

As we drink in these new views of God, the divine nature, our thoughts are uplifted and we feel a sense of our oneness with God. When challenges come up, we are more easily able to address them from a standpoint of poise and grace because we have built a solid spiritual foundation in the morning.

At night before bed, wrapping the day up in gratitude for all the good you experienced and the spiritual qualities you saw expressed around you is a great way to pull up your spiritual Comforter and feel the divine embrace tucking you in. Your Father-Mother God is tenderly caring for your child within and enables you to drink in drafts of Spirit to renew and invigorate you.

Here is an article I wrote for New Year’s about these ideas that was recently published in the Christian Science Sentinel. I hope these ideas will be as useful to you as they have been to me.

Photo credit: Image by Pexels from Pixabay

A practical guide for living

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

How often do you read the Sermon on the Mount? The founder of my church recommends reading it once a week and putting it in to practice each day. I have to admit that I rarely read it every week, but I do have to say that I notice a profound difference in my outlook on life when I do read it. The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, has a profound way of spiritualizing thought, the way we live, and our interactions with others. Starting out with the beatitudes highlights attributes such as humbleness, meekness, gentleness, sincerity, peacemaking, and more. Later on it illustrates the importance of not judging others, not criticizing others, and even not worrying because God gives you what you need. It reminds us of God’s great love, and it encourages us to let God’s light shine! And it assures us that following this teaching gives us a house, consciousness, and faith that is built on a rock.

I am amazed by the simplicity and profound nature of this Sermon. It has the power to transform hearts and lives. So, if it’s been a little while, find your favorite translation of the Bible and give it a read today. It will surely re-orient your thinking and life in a positive way.

To my sense the Sermon on the Mount, read each Sunday without comment and obeyed throughout the week, would be enough for Christian practice. The Word of God is a powerful preacher, and it is not too spiritual to be practical, nor too transcendental to be heard and understood.–Mary Baker Eddy

PS — Check out a friend’s article on how living the principles of the Sermon on the Mount can even lead us to a less violent world. Universal Love: Roadmap to a less violent world

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