Tag: time

Beating the clock

Published on by lindseybiggs2 Comments

Rushing around smartly is no proof of accomplishing much. *

clock-tower-190677_960_720Jesus is the perfect example of overcoming time and stress. He was in some pretty stressful situations but he never caved in to pressure, never doubted his Father’s Kingdom. He knew God’s law was lovingly reigning over all and could reverse the material view that said it wasn’t.

Jesus was asked to go heal Jairus’ daughter but on the way he’s stopped by another situation. It’s a woman who was in physical need and was healed when she touched him. He even took the time to comfort this woman to let her know that her faith in God healed her.

Well, now he gets the “too late” message: the girl whom he had agreed to go heal is now dead. Jesus was too late! He missed the window of opportunity. Haven’t we all heard a message like that before? You missed the deadline! What were you thinking! You berate yourself: I’m such an idiot!

Well, that’s not what Jesus did or thought! He knew God was all powerful. He knew there was no “too late” or “too hard” or “impossible” with God.

The end of the story is that he goes to the home of the girl and heals her — she is alive and well. (See Mark 5).

Looks like God had everything under control the whole time! Even when the people didn’t believe it and couldn’t see it.

How often do we believe that we only have just a quick time to obtain something good — that there’s a narrow window of opportunity; and even that we have to experience as much as we can before our time is up! Wow, this proverbial clock would have us running and rushing around and missing the glory and joy of God’s forever Kingdom!

urban-571631_960_720There was one week in my spiritual practice where I really focused on God being the law and order that is governing everything. I thought about a divine Principle governing my experience and placing me where I needed to be at the perfect time. It was awesome! It was at a time when I had an hour-long commute to and from the city for work. I found that praying with these ideas helped me to arrive exactly when I needed to. It even helped me to find parking in my overcrowded neighborhood — arriving at the perfect time when someone was pulling out of a spot (at a time when parking could take a half hour or more to find). I was just in awe of God’s goodness and I learned so much that week about how God governs every facet of our experience. We see this when we humbly and prayerfully express Him/Her!

Jesus wasn’t stressed out and we don’t need to be either. We can experience God’s harmonious control governing every avenue of being for good.

—

*Mary Baker Eddy, Improve Your Time (article), Miscellaneous Writings

Is Life controlling you…or time?

Published on by lindseybiggs2 Comments

close-up-of-brick-circleIt’s so easy to get caught up in being in a rush these days. There are often many demands made on us. How do we navigate these waters and maintain a sense of peace?

“Life is without beginning and without end. Eternity, not time, expresses the thought of Life, and time is no part of eternity. One ceases [time] in proportion as the other [eternity] is recognized.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 468)

Imagine that…time ceasing! As I think about that, there is great sense of stillness, unity and serenity.

How do we recognize and bring eternal life in to our day right here and now?

I think it’s helpful to recognize that we are not on a timeline, but we are at one with the entire sphere of Life. What we see and know of human life is just a limited perspective and a fraction of the whole Life.

Christ Jesus demonstrated eternal Life in his resurrection and also in the lives of others whom he saved from death (see Luke 7:11-17, Matthew 9:18-26, and John 11:1-44).

He said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (John 11: 25, 26)

So, clearly, Life is about much more than material cells and atoms.

Dr. Eben Alexander, the author of the New York Times bestseller “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife”, said in a recent interview, “The most profound revelation of all this was that the brain doesn’t create this kind of deeper message of soul, spirit, or consciousness at all.”

Certainly there is much peace and realizing that we will never really die. Our consciousness and identity are eternal and permanent.

“All that is beautiful and good in your individual consciousness is permanent” (Unity of Good, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 8). So all the love and the good within us is here to stay.

How can understanding that Life is eternal give us greater dominion over time?

I had an experience recently that illustrated that.

I was late. My meeting was about to start in 10 min. But there had been demands at home with family that I had needed to attend to. What to do? I recognized that I clearly had a choice. I could get all frazzled and in a tizzy. I could give up this sense of peace and dive into the invisible pressure that comes from time. Or I could maintain a sense of peace, recognizing it as a God-given quality, and trust that God is governing me and others, and I can never be punished (or cause others to be delayed) through doing good for others. I opted for peace. I got in the car. I did not speed. I praised God all the way. I prayed to recognize His qualities of poise, grace, kindness, patience, love and tenderness that are always with me. I arrived at the meeting right on time, even though there was no way humanly that I could have done so. The meeting commenced and all was very harmonious. I marvel at this beautiful spiritual lesson.

We always have a choice. We never have to let go of the spiritual dominion and poise that God has given us.

Now, I don’t mean that we should be apathetic and inconsiderate towards others. In the example above, no harm was caused to others by the demands from family that I had to take care of. And the spiritual dominion and peace that God gave me saved me from acting impatient and rushed, which can often cause others to feel agitated and hurried.

I’m so grateful for this small way, and the big ways, that we can prove Life is eternal, spiritual and harmonious right here and now.

Sleepless nights?

Published on by lindseybiggs4 Comments

Reading a recent blog with the following startling statistics prompted me to share my own experience in overcoming this problem.

 People today sleep 20% less than they did 100 years ago.  More than half of Americans lose sleep due to stress or anxiety, with more than 30% of our population suffering from insomnia.  To combat this, approximately 10 million people in the United States use prescription sleep aids (better-sleep-better-life.com).

I never had trouble sleeping until I became pregnant. My evening routine of prayer, reading the Bible or other inspirational material, and writing in my gratitude journal no longer guaranteed me a lasting night of sleep.

What did help?

I went to church one evening and shared this experience with fellow church members. They each had a unique experience and insight to share. One woman shared how she had never needed much sleep in throughout her life. She was able to function perfectly well on just a few hours each night. This skill had enabled her to take far more than the usual credits when she was in graduate school.

Another woman shared how when she woke up in the middle of the night, she prayed for the world and her church. She felt there was a spiritual reason or “calling” for her to be up at the hour (to love her fellow brothers and sisters) and she was able to sleep again after spending time in prayer.

I contacted a Christian Science practitioner for ideas on this subject. She said that she loved waking up during those hours in the night and for her it was like “free time” when she got to do things she couldn’t normally do.

Instead of seeing myself in a dark, lonely house, wishing I was doing something (sleeping) that I was not, I started to appreciate the opportunities this afforded me. I prayed for humanity; I learned more about God; I ate something; I did chores; I worked, etc. I lost the fear and anxiety about being up at that time, and it became very productive for me. Since I was able to accomplish more during that time, I found I could take the opportunity to sleep later in the day when I felt rested and peaceful.

“Siesta” – or nap and resting time – is built-in to the day of many cultures. However, it’s not part of the American culture. My husband told me that his grandfather in South Africa has taken a nap ever day of his life. I realized I didn’t have to be boxed in to what my culture says is “normal” (i.e. sleeping and working in 8 hr blocks). I felt anxiety because I didn’t fit into this mold, and I realized I could step out of this mold and follow a God-directed and inspired schedule. This change in thought really helped me. It didn’t negatively affect my work or the people around me. And it gave me a greater sense of peace and the ability to follow divine inspiration and feel the gentleness of God throughout my day. Sometimes we just need to be a little more gentle on ourselves.