Article June 14, 2004 Issue

Life uninterrupted

Disaster fantasies gave way to peace and health when the author recovered her permanent connection with God.

By Piper Star Foster

For several weeks , mental images of personal disaster, illness, and sudden death plagued me. I had plenty of happiness, peace, fun, and goodness in my life—yet I worried that my happiness would soon be replaced with a crisis that was looming just beyond the next bend. The disaster images were fleeting but persistent.

At the core of what I've learned in Christian Science is the concept that each of us has a wonderful and wholly spiritual birthright. As Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health, ". . . Jesus said, 'Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.' This truth is Christian Science" (p. 442). If it is God's "good pleasure" to give His children (meaning all of us) the kingdom of heaven, then our well-being is secure and not at all fragile. To me, being given the kingdom of heaven means we have divine rights to a continuity of peace, fresh inspiration, and security.

I felt these ideas were real and true, although the disaster fantasies continued to grow in frequency. I knew I needed to get rid of them, but I also knew that kicking them out wouldn't happen through sheer willpower. I am learning that willfulness never actually heals anything.