Repost: Lessons from sunflowers

Published on August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

This is a such a beautiful analogy. And a wonderful prayer for our political climate.

Sunflowers’ promise of hope and unity

by Janet Hegarty

When you travel through western Kansas in August, near the town of Goodland, you’ll see huge fields of sunflowers in full bloom. The sudden burst of bright yellow against the green landscape is stunning, but the behavior of the sunflowers is even more impressive. All of the flowers face toward the sun and move together in unity as they follow the sun throughout the day.

Against the backdrop of the current contentious political landscape, the thought of these sunflowers moving together in unity is refreshing. It stimulates hope that there might be a way to move beyond antagonistic, divisive political differences. Granted, the life of a flower is simple compared with the complexities of human existence, but I believe there’s much to learn about how we might establish harmony by considering the sunflower’s activity.

The flowers move in harmony because they are all seeking and finding the good they need from the same source. This is what unifies their actions. Their need for the sun is intrinsic. They naturally follow the sun, and their needs are supplied in the process.

Much political discord today comes from disparate points of view as to how the social and economic life in the United States should be managed. These conflicting ideas have polarized the country. This polarization has been so extreme at times that it has severely slowed the normal effective action of the government. Thinking of the sunflowers has made me wonder if there isn’t a higher source of good we could focus on that might unite us all in progressive activity.

Repost: In Jesus’ footsteps

Published on August 2, 2012August 7, 2012 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

I can’t resist reposting this blog post by my husband that appeared on CSMonitor.com today.

I love these opportunities we each have to step out of our comfort zone and really delve deeper. Truly inspiring growth always comes from such opportunities!

In Jesus’ footsteps

by John Biggs

While power washing my back porch the other day, I accidentally aimed the nozzle too aggressively at the deck. The dull gray color suddenly vanished, replaced by a vibrant red cedar tone. At first, I was upset with myself for scarring the deck. Then I realized that this was the actual deck. I was very pleased with the color and cleanliness, but I hesitated to pursue the in-depth cleaning because halfway was probably good enough, and company was expected soon.

Isn’t this story symbolically familiar? The comfort zone threatened. Something that disturbs the norm. The aha moment telling you that what lies beneath the surface is so much better. Then hesitancy about reaching for that depth and substance. Right here is where so much of life is decided. Do we stay comfortable or dive deeper? The good … or the best?

Light and joy restored

Published on August 1, 2012July 31, 2012 by lindseybiggs4 Comments

I was reminded by a post on a discussion forum of the normal childlikeness that has been restored to me through my study of Christian Science.

One of Jesus Christ’s radical acts and statements is to be childlike.

This may seem contrary to what the world tells us about needing to be cynical, judgemental, analytical and critical. I haven’t met many children expressing those qualities! Have you? 🙂 So isn’t Jesus telling us that childlike qualities are a natural part of adults (politicians, school teachers, Olympians), too?

In my practice of Christian Science healing, I see children have such quick physical and emotional healings. They are so receptive and quick to change their thinking from bad to good about any situation. They have such an inherent sense of the goodness of the universe, before they are taught otherwise, that tells them that goodness is natural to their experience.

“Children should be allowed to remain children in knowledge, and should become men and women only through growth in the understanding of man’s higher nature.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 62)

Some teenagers fall into the temptation of depression, cynicism and despair. It seems like the light, innocence and happiness disappear from their experience.

But my own experience has taught me that those spiritual attributes – the spiritual sense of being which involves hope, faith and love – are never lost. It’s like a dark cloud is covering up these beautiful qualities, but, just like the sun, these natural good qualities are still there, always shining brightly even if we can’t see them for the moment.

I re-discovered my relationship with God and what it means to be a child made in the image and likeness of my Father/Mother God in my twenties. There was a lot of darkness that had taken root in my thought in my teens and had lasted for several years. The darkness would mock the light shining around me and continue to hide in its false self-perpetuated existence.

God had always told me there was another way, and, finally, a deeper sense that I had the right to be free as God’s child broke through. I was inspired to read the 4 gospels in the New Testament straight through, which I hadn’t done before, along with Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. I admired the fearlessness of Jesus Christ, and I wanted that fearlessness for my own life, too. And I was comforted to read from the discover and founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, that the works that Jesus did and taught others, which enable one to be fearless, are still possible and happening today.

She echoes the Biblical sentiment here: “Christian scientific practice begins with Christ’s keynote of harmony, ‘Be not afraid!'”

What a relief! Through consistent spiritual study of the Bible and the texts of Christian Science, the darkness vanished from my thought.

When the light shines in our consciousness, the darkness disappears. I know we have all seen examples of this in our experience. I’m just so grateful that this Truth is true. 🙂