Archive for the ‘Fearless living’ Tag
There is an urgent need for justice in our world, a justice that includes every individual. The needs of today are pushing us to search deeply for what true impartiality, fairness, and equality mean.
We can gain a deeper sense of justice by considering a more permanent basis for rights; by considering each one’s divine rights and the laws of God that operate to bless all with goodness. … continue reading
Where restitution is needed – no matter how small or large – divine Love’s law is at hand to bring healing and harmony.
In this article the author, José de Dios Mata, tells of his experience growing up in a dictatorship and how he came to rely on the higher law of Love which transformed his life, resolved unjust legal tangles and healed him physically. This article was originally published in the 28 March edition of the Christian Science Monitor. Click here to read or listen to the full article.
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.
(The Bible – Psalm 61: 1-4)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
(The Bible – Psalm 23: 1-6)
Dear Friend,
We don’t know each other, but my heart goes out to you as reports continue to emerge about the invasion and attack of your homeland. Things may look very dark right now; perhaps your plans for the life you hoped to live seem shattered. I and many others are praying earnestly that you feel the palpable presence of God, good, bringing you strength, hope, and inspiration.
These prayers are inspired by the presence of God made evident throughout the Bible. In Psalms, we read, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?… If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me” (139:7, 11). God does know you and care for you, for everyone. God has not abandoned you. Even in the depths of despair, when we turn our hearts to God, we feel the light and grace of God’s presence and love right here to protect us.
My father experienced the power of this divine light after the start of World War II. When his homeland, Japan, declared war on the United States – the country that he had been preparing to go to throughout his education – his hopes and dreams were shattered. As war continued, he felt alone and completely isolated.
Yet one thing did carry him through those dark days. It was his faith in God, who is omnipresent good. The ideas contained in two books – the Bible and “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science – helped him understand that God’s goodness is always present, even in the midst of devastation and war. During the firebombing of Tokyo, as my father ran around dousing the burning embers that were falling on his family’s home, he felt a powerful sense that he actually lived in the kingdom of God, that it was within him, flooding his consciousness with light.
That’s always true for each of us as God’s creation. As God’s spiritual likeness we have a relation to God that is, as my father put it, “as inseparable and unseverable as that of a sunbeam to the sun” (Takashi Oka, “No enemies in the kingdom,” Christian Science Sentinel, April 28, 2003). That he was able to feel this in the midst of such destruction has been proof to me that the “still, small voice” of God can be heard even in the darkest moments.
This is the Christ, God’s communication of divine Love’s power and presence. Mary Baker Eddy expresses it this way: “Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness” (Science and Health, p. 332). The Christ continues to communicate to each of us right now, empowering us to feel the healing, guiding light of God even in the midst of the anger, fear, and destruction of war. It is in God’s very nature as divine Love to constantly communicate and express tender care and compassion for each of us, and to enable us to know our spiritual nature as His children.
This is a powerful and effective basis for prayer for all of humanity. Its truth encircles the globe, and I and so many others worldwide are wrapping you in our prayers to see that, truly, “no power can withstand divine Love” (Science and Health, p. 224).
With love and hope,
Mimi Oka
This article appeared in the March 09, 2022 edition of the Monitor Daily.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing; …
What though my human comforts die,
The Lord my Saviour liveth;
What though the darkness gather round,
Songs in the night God giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that Rock I’m clinging;
Since Love is God of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?
(Christian Science Hymnal 533)
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
(The Bible – Psalm 139: 1, 2, 7-10)
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, . . . though the waters thereof roar and be troubled”
(The Bible – Psalm 46: 1-3)
… the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
(The Bible – Isaiah 32: 17, 17)
.
… prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
(The Bible – Malachi 3: 10)
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Just recently I spent a day at Summernats with my dad. Summernats is an annual car event held in Canberra. COVID was raging in Canberra at this time and people were quite fearful of anyone who even coughed. Still Exhibition Park where the event was held was crowded with over 2000 people attending that day. We had a wonderful time!
However, after I arrived home I started to feel unwell. I had many of the symptoms associated with COVID and my mum told me to isolate from the family and stay in my room. I obeyed and used this alone time to pray quietly about the situation. The idea that came to me was that this situation was similar to one of those 3D drawings you see sometimes – the ones where if you look at it one way you see one image and if you change focus and look at it from a different angle you see a completely different picture. I knew I had to choose which picture I was looking at.
At this point I messaged my Sunday School teacher for some extra help. She told me that it was fear that was contagious not COVID. I related this to a story she had told me in Sunday School about a man in a canoe who was lost in the fog. I likened the fear to the fog. At that point the fear seemed to surround me – just like the fog. In the story the man had only to stand up in the canoe and see above the fog and to see his safe course. I knew that all I needed to do was to stand above the mental fog and see the truth of the situation – the truth that I was spiritual and not subject to material laws of contagion. With these thoughts I felt safe and fell asleep.
In the morning when I woke I was perfectly well. The fever and the cough had completely gone and the runny nose was also gone in about an hour. I was very grateful for this proof of God’s care.
Christian Science Canberra 