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Losing our fear of weather
Years ago a tornado moved through my neighborhood. The aftermath left my house and neighborhood in need of repair and cleanup. For months afterward, I struggled to maintain composure when storms were on the horizon. I felt completely exposed—my safety subject to luck. In my extremity, which is now a source of hilarity, I would don a motorcycle helmet and grab a flashlight and emergency radio while heading to the basement. None of these things alleviated the terror I experienced. I wanted relief, so I set out studying the one book that has been a comfort to me, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
For roughly a year, I felt drawn to “the scientific statement of being” in Science and Health, and I really tried to feel the implication of each sentence, because as Mrs. Eddy tells us, “The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen as felt” (Science and Health, p. 323). The statement says: “There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual” (p. 468). Not just a year, but a lifetime of reflection could be spent on this marvelous revelation, and while it was so uplifting to read at the time, I wondered how I would apply it to the next storm I encountered. I wanted to feel and know these beautiful facts when faced with what seemed like insurmountable fear.
The next summer provided an opportunity to practice. I again found myself in the basement facing another strong thunderstorm. I was trying to calm myself enough to pray, and among the truths I could muster was GOD IS ALL. However, as the storm threatened, it seemed more and more difficult to maintain that God is all-powerful, and that there is no life and substance in matter—in the storm—and, therefore, no harm could result from it.
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