spirituality – Page 23 – Spirituality & Healing

What is controlling our thinking?

Published on January 18, 2016January 17, 2016 by lindseybiggs2 Comments

One night, while laying in bed trying to go to sleep, I found myself ruminating about an upcoming project that didn’t require me to be organizing every detail that moment. What I did need was a feeling of peace, rest and trust in God’s all-power.

What do we do when we feel like our thinking is being hijacked from our naturally happy, healthy, restful selves?

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.¹

Mary Baker Eddy, a spiritual teacher and healer, called this influence “error” — it is simply an error to believe that God is not in control; it is simply an error to believe that God’s reality is not harmonious, perfect and that you are not included in it right now.

You are valuable! You are special!

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid^2;

To be at one with divine consciousness is to know that God is controlling and working out every detail of your experience.

You are an active component of one “stupendous whole”.

As an active portion of one stupendous whole, goodness identifies man with universal good.³

Sometimes I wonder: “Really, me? My tiny, insignificant problem in the grand scheme of things? Is God really working that out?” Well the answer that comes is YES —not because my problem is of huge significance but because my being is at one with the whole being— the whole of creation, God’s perfect universe. If I claim and accept that he isn’t governing me than I am claiming and accepting that I am separate from God and the rest of His creation. Impossible!

As I lay in bed that night, I saw clear that it was error (subtly or aggressively) influencing me to over-analyze without relying on God, good, to guide each step of the way through divine inspiration. The moment I realized the error that was influencing my consciousness, I turned my thought to Christ; I thought about the Bible story of Christ Jesus walking over the waves to his disciples who were in the boat.

Jesus taught us to walk over, not into or with, the currents of matter, or mortal mind.⁴

It was clear to me that I had a choice to make: I could believe that God is all and is the only true law caring for every want and detail I could possibly imagine or I could stay in the boat of believing that there is lack, limitation, rush, stress, and fear that God has no ability to reject.

Thinking about the Master’s nonjudgmental compassion for Peter in reaching out his hand to help Peter when he started to sink helped me see the divine Love that I really wanted to take a stand for. I could see that I was being urged to “walk over the waves” – the downward pull of material thinking — to trust in God’s love.

The unnecessary ruminating stopped in those moments. I slept peacefully and awoke feeling a greater sense of freedom and refreshment. (In the following weeks, the project even evolved in such a way that the details I would have planned that evening would been obsolete, so I was saved from wasted time.) Divine inspiration, trust, and not human will, was needed to take the lead.

. . . let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.⁵

So, if you find yourself fretting about something, know that Christ is present to help you break the cycles of negative/limited thinking; Christ enables you to see who you really are, your perfect relationship with God who is unfolding every perfect detail to bless everyone.

___

^{1 Romans 8:6 NIV}^{2 Luke 12:7 NIV}^{3 Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, p. 165:16-18}^{4 Mary Baker Eddy, Unity of Good, p. 11:3-4}^{5 James 1:4 NKJV}

What is it that really satisfies us?

Published on January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 by lindseybiggsLeave a comment

Satisfaction. What is it and where does it come from?

Dictionary.com defines satisfaction as fulfillment and gratification; gratification is defined as reward, recompense, or gratuity.

To me, satisfaction is a feeling — a feeling of reward —perhaps something that comes from a worthy activity.

I have looked to material things, as most humans have, for satisfaction only to find them fleeting at best.

When I align my thoughts with God — and make my motive to express God — I find the greatest satisfaction even in the little things I do.

Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul.¹

When I translate “things into thoughts” and “exchange the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul”, I find a whole new way to feel satisfied because I am aligning myself with the unchanging spiritual law the exists.

This morning I woke up feeling uninspired about the day. I spent time in the morning being quiet, listening to God and aligning my thought with the spiritual reality. I don’t recall all the ideas I prayed with but by then end of this quiet time I was feeling inspired, happy, loving and ready for the day. I baked cookies with my son and we did a new craft project. The morning was so full of kindness, loveliness and freshness. I was so grateful! I loved the motivation of creativity and desire to share in something together. You could say we turned the “things” — cookies, chocolate chips, glue, scissors, paper — into “thoughts” and saw they were actually vehicles for Spirit, God, to be expressed in joy, peace and creativity.

I find prayer to be the most satisfying activity and a necessity because it opens up windows to God — inspired views that fuel us. It lifts us up to see that who we really are transcends the material senses. It enables us to see true spiritual reality as a present state and to witness the hand of God in the smile of a child, a gentle breeze, the affection from a dog. It gives us the ability to see God in all that we do — to see the divine sparkle — which shows us we are all loved and spiritual right now.

Whatever we are doing — helping someone find a resolution for a violent situation to baking cookies or visiting with a friend — we can have the divine satisfaction that comes from aligning our view with God — seeing true spiritual substance is always present and perfect.

^{1 Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 269}

Spiritual intuition guides financial choices

Published on December 24, 2015 by lindseybiggs2 Comments

Spiritual intuition can guide our financial choices whether it’s buying a gift, gas, groceries or a house. The same Principle applies in all transactions big or small.

When I go shopping I like to listen to the “still, small voice” of inspiration which guides me. God never guides us to waste, be stingy or be hasty. There is only perfection and generosity in infinite Principle.

Here’s one small example: I was buying a couple of books for my son for an upcoming road trip. I really wanted to buy the board book “Corduroy” because we both love reading it from the library. But my spiritual intuition told me not to. I trusted that guidance even though I didn’t understand why I shouldn’t buy it.

Well we went to visit my dad’s house on this road trip and he asked me to look through some old boxes of mine. In one of the boxes I found my old copy of the book “Corduroy” from my childhood. We were both surprised and happy, and we got to enjoy reading the book for the remainder of the trip. I was grateful that I was guided not to purchase this book a few weeks prior.

I’ve had the same Principle guide me when buying houses, cars, changing jobs and moving across country. It doesn’t matter what the value is — $1 or $100,000 — the same wisdom and guidance is always there.

As we practice being willing to listen and obey this divine intuition, we can respond more quickly and consistently to these divine thoughts. Not to mention that it’s fun getting to listen to God and feel our connection to the divine Principle everyday.

Happy holidays!