Tag: poverty

Who is your enemy?

Published on by lindseybiggs1 Comment

I’ve been reading a great article that I find so apropos to the things going on in the world today. It’s entitled “Truth Handles Crime“.

I have learned from this article is that no person, neighbor or nation is our enemy. Mankind, as the spiritual image and likeness of God, is wholly spiritual, good, trustworthy, and honest. The only enemy we have is what the King James Version of the Bible terms the “carnal mind” (Romans 8:7).

The carnal mind tells us lies about ourself and our neighbor.  It tells you that you are jealous, evil, stupid, worthless, incapable, etc. It often comes in the pronouns “I am” (sick, fearful, tired, sensual, angry, unsatisfied) or “they are”(mean, spiteful, trying to take away what is mine/out to get me).

These lies are the enemy. They are trying to defile the Christlike image of God. And these lies have no power because they are not true. When one of these evil “suggestions” comes to our consciousness, we need to recognize what it is, where it is coming from, see that it is a lie and has no power (and not let it in to our thought).

The Bible tells us that “I am” is the name of God. This means “I am” can only be associated with God and His likeness – that which is  good, loving, kind, compassionate, strong, trustworthy, eternal, honest, productive, and healthy. This is true of each of us; we naturally express and embody these qualities and inherently want to know/do good.

The article states:

“As we understand these things clearly, we cease to regard each other as enemies. We no longer think that we must get rid of individuals or groups who seem to menace harmony. We refrain from fearing our neighbors and do not appear dangerous to them. It will become increasingly plain to all men that the only agressor there is, is mortal mind, and that it is an illusion. Then its suppositional acts of trespass, invasion, deceit, and destruction will no more have power to harm us, and will cease to seem to occur.”

I believe that holding to the true image of men and women in God’s image and likeness, detecting and uncovering mortal mind/the carnal mind, is what will aid us in overcoming political unrest, a desire to terrorize, feeling impoverished and anything else that would suggest the hate, division and unworthiness of groups or individuals.

Divine economy

Published on by lindseybiggs2 Comments

Reading a recent Christian Science Monitor article entitled, “Job numbers for May squelch some economic optimism”, got me thinking about the truth of our real economy. The Monitor’s founder writes, “mortals are hastening to learn that Life is God, good, and that evil has in reality neither place nor power in the human or the divine economy.” (Science and Health, p. 327)

If life is God, than life is infinite and unlimited. Life doesn’t know human times and conditions but is always the same. And if our real economy is divine, it never changes. It is always abundant with good. When we are governed by God, good, we can never see or experience lack. God, good, guides us in right business decisions, shows us the power of truth, honesty, morality and integrity and saves us from the subtle or aggressive temptation to cheat, steal, lie, be greedy or selfish. These “errors” in thought tip the human economy to the side of limit and lack.

However, if we are all governed by honesty, integrity, generosity, and gratitude than we are governed rightly and we can only experience God’s abundance and security. We have begun rightly because we are on the side of God and our true spiritual nature. God’s creation is already perfect, whole, and complete and includes all that is needed. Every need is provided and cared for by God, our Father. This is God’s job and God isn’t going to forget to care for His beloved children. So when we eliminate fear and worry or lack and limitation from our consciousness, we are naturally at-one with God’s law of harmony, supply, and goodness.

I experienced this in the last several months. I was recently married, changed careers, and moved across the country. Mortal mind, or the carnal mind as the Bible calls it, whispered predictions of failure, fear, lack and limitation into my thought. Sometimes they weren’t whispers and were more like aggressive yelling. But I held to the fact that existence is spiritual and comes from God. God naturally governs and cares for his creation and knows no seasons or times. That care is always – constant and consistent. If life is spiritual/God than every part of life including home, food, activity, entertainment, friendships, children are also spiritual.

Well my husband and I had to rely on much less of our savings than I had anticipated. And the income was simply there. I’m not even sure where it came from at times but it just never seemed depleted. I was amazed, and it reminded me of the Bible stories where Jesus fed the multitude out of a few loaves of bread and fishes and all were filled; and the story of the woman whom Elijah told to gather up vessels from her neighbors and they were all filled by Spirit so that she could sell the oil and pay off her debts and live off the rest. The Bible says, “And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” (II Kings 4:6).

I felt like this woman. And most recently we were able to buy a house. And even when we tried to skimp and save and get a smaller, cheaper house, God’s abundant goodness led us with the guidance and means to get a bigger and better house that would be more suitable for all of our needs. The transaction was so apparently divine inspired because it was such a blessing and harmonious for the owners, for us, and all involved in the unfoldment.

I am so grateful for God’s goodness and how He takes care of everything and has nothing but abundant goodness for all His children. And any temptation that comes to our thought saying otherwise is simply denying God’s allness and goodness. We can calmly and persistently rise above that suggestion and know we are safe and secure in God’s love and kingdom.

Unconditional love for the world & progress in government

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

Last week’s Christian Science Sentinel magazine titled “Unconditional Love” gave me some great food for thought.  And what a beautiful magazine it is filled with several wonderful articles on the nature, essence, and meaning of unconditional love.

Unconditional love is what God feels for each of us.  It doesn’t matter if we have been good or bad, God is still loving us and caring for us.  And Love doesn’t just keep us in a position of behaving in a way that is not our highest, but Love uplifts us, corrects us and shows us the true path – the path that includes health, blessings, happiness, and helping others.

Christ Jesus demonstrated unconditional love beautifully.  And he did it as an example of what we should do also.  He said in essence that we are known as his disciples because we love one another.  He included many wonderful examples of this unconditional love in washing the feet of his disciples and in praying for forgiveness for those who crucified him.  And told us that we should forgive our neighbor an endless amount of times – forever!

This, coupled with the spirituality.com chat “Prayer for progress in government”, has led to some wonderful prayerful ideas for me.  The speaker, Bruce Fitzwater, CSB, a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science in Portland, Oregon, talked about the need to pray with a trust in God’s ability to direct and govern the world instead of praying for a particular outcome with our limited knowledge of circumstances.  He also showed great steps in the progress of peace in examples such as the Berlin wall and in his own life overcoming hostility and intimidation in places in Africa.

One of the ideas he shared that I especially enjoyed was that progress is a clearer understanding of God and of what is real and power.  I love thinking of this as the real measure of our progress.  And this spiritualization of thought is going on each moment.

We can see evidence of this in businesses that do good, honest, and moral business, having wonderful relationships with their customers, putting forth good products, and operating in a smooth and orderly way.  In the same way, we can see individuals governed by forgiveness, gentleness, neighborly love and kindness.  This comes from a sense of knowing that there isn’t any limitation or lack.

We don’t need to worry about trying to get our own needs and wants taken care of and undercutting others.  God is supplying all of His creation with all they need and is elevating our desires and wants each moment to those, which bless and include everyone.

In fact, another point this speaker made was that our government representatives re-present its citizens.  So if the citizens are acting in a way that is undercutting others or dishonest or greedy, than of course the representative can only represent that.  However, if honesty, justice, goodness, mercy, tenderness and kindness govern the people, than that is all that can be represented.

I have loved knowing this in terms of my own taxes, business and in dealing with corporations.  If I want Truth to be the only power in my life than I have to exhibit Truth and hold to it firmly.  And if I really know and believe that supply is absolutely spiritual than no taking what isn’t rightfully mine, or withholding of good, or lying can actually bless me.  Since supply and goodness come solely from God, and not from matter than living in absolute accord with God’s character and nature is what enriches me, keeps me safe, and blesses me with all that I need.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,

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. (Pg. 248)

This is what our role is – to let God’s light shine through us so that creation is seen and known as 100% spiritual.  I read a wonderful analogy in the Sentinel I referred to earlier which said that the sun reaches the earth through it’s rays; just as God/Heaven reaches the earth through His/Her expression – man and woman and all of God’s varied ideas.

So if we want to see more peace and less violence, more good and less evil, more honesty less corruption, we can each be that light shining on earth.   We can live and express our prayer (that which we want to see for the world and our experience) in our lives.

One last point the speaker made was that trusting in the power of love and goodness is Christianity.  Anger, fear, resentment all come from thinking there is another power than God.  But when we trust that God, good, divine Love, is the only power, presence and authority, just as Jesus and his disciples did, than we can’t help but continue to move forward with the spirit of love, truth, helpfulness, and happiness and have total victory over error.

Mrs. Eddy says,

The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes
the achievement possible.  (Pg. 199)

Honesty is spiritual power.
Dishonesty is
human weakness, which forfeits
divine help. (Pg. 453)

Right motives
give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to
speech and action. (Pg. 454)