Tag: Science and Health

Constant prayer

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

The Bible talks about “praying without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17), which can sometimes sound like an unattainable goal.

How does one pray all the time? Is it even possible?

I recently came across two statements in the Christian Science textbook, which helped me understand this better.

“The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer.” (Science and Health, p. 4)

“Consistent prayer is the desire to do right.” (Science and Health, p. 9)

So, when I desire to do the right thing and to be good, I am praying.

I wanted to ask a friend for a favor the other day. Then thought came to me: rather than just invite him over to help me on a project, I should invite him over for dinner, hang out with him and enjoy his company. We could get the project done at the same time, and I could take the time to appreciate getting to know him in a new way (he has helped my family on many occasions). Later, I realized that my desire to do the right thing in this situation, was actually a form of praying.

So whether we’re picking out a movie to watch on a Friday night or making plans with friends, our desire to do good in every situation is a form of praying.

That certainly makes the goal of “praying without ceasing” much more tangible to me!

Let the light in to your consciousness!

Published on by lindseybiggs6 Comments

Today I was feeling overwhelmed by a set of circumstances. I couldn’t seem to lift my thought above the limiting situation and into the spiritual realm of hope and divine possibilities.

 

So, I decided to pray, and I read an article called “Focus on the silver and wheat”. The author writes,

 

“Even as I fretted about these situations, though, divine Soul’s strength kept coming back in response. Id’ strengthen my mental position with what was at first a meek, humble affirmation that God loves us, that God knows we are good, that all is well, that we all deserve good in our lives. Eventually, the more I pulled myself up with these ideas (holding thought, as Mary Baker Eddy reminds on page 261 of Science and Health, ‘steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true’), the more I strengthened my hold on the substance of Christ’s teachings: the wheat, the silver, the stability, the abundant grace for all humanity.” (Christian Science Sentinel, 2.13.12)

 

What the author wrote about was exactly what I needed to do!  So I did and this is what I discovered:

Each divine thought (or “angel message”) acts as a light in our consciousness. If we are troubled with fear, worry, or regret there is a lot of darkness in our thought.  Divine ideas (with their signs of peace, hope and assurance of ever-present Love) are a light that casts a warm glow in the darkness. Turning on one light, or letting in one good thought, reminds us of the good.  Ahhh…that feels good! 

So we let in another and another and…more light! Soon our whole consciousness is filled with light.  We remember that joy, happiness, health, and abundance are natural in our experience.  We let go of the problem and in this way we turn it over to God.  This is called “letting go and letting God” or as Christ Jesus said: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

 

So, the next time you feel like you’re in the dark, turn on the light!  Let in one good thought and see how the light multiplies.  This gets “you” out of the way, and leaves radiant room for God to supply His spiritual solutions.

 

 

It’s been an awesome summer of living, loving, giving, and rich with blessings. It’s amazing how you go to serve and end up greatly blessed by all the love and spiritual lessons you receive. What a wonderful law of divine Love this is – “whatever blesses one [truly] blesses all”1.

While I was rock climbing on Bowen Island, Canada, at a summer camp for girls, a spiritual lesson came to me.

When I initially started the climb I thought it would be much easier than it was! I didn’t recall how different climbing walls are from actually climbing on rocks!

I was making steady progress up the rock face. Until I got to one point where it just didn’t seem like there was any possible way to go up higher. (Isn’t that symbolic of our spiritual journey sometimes?!)

And I thought, “Well, I could just give up now. I’ve gotten far enough; there’s no real requirement that I get any further.”

There didn’t seem to be a present solution (foot or hand-hold on the rock). But I decided to take a moment and be still.

A line from a poem/hymn by Mary Baker Eddy immediately came to me: “Thus Truth engrounds me on the rock…”2

I thought, “Rock! How cool! What a perfect angel message!” I immediately felt a sense of peace that comes from a conscious realization of the presence of God, divine Spirit, Love.

I looked up and saw a hand hold! And I finished the rest of the climb joyously in only a few moments.

Taking a moment to “Be still, and know that I am God”3 helped open my thought to see the glorious blessings, solutions and present possibilities that were right there in front of me (literally!).

I was joyful after this climb, not because I’d made it to the top, but because of this revelation – this “healing” – I had while climbing.

This lesson about keeping a spiritual pace in life has been a continual reminder to me. Not being tempted to get caught up in the hypothetical rush that seems to surrounds us, but to take those moments to pause and be still. Listen for those angel messages. It makes such a difference!

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Footnotes
1 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddy, p. 206
2 Poems, “Christ my Refuge”, Eddy, p. 11
3 The Bible (KJV), Psalms 46:10