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My prayer ladder
I currently own a cleaning business, and I always bring along a stepladder so that I can reach high places that need cleaning. But that’s not the only ladder I have with me. I also carry a spiritual “prayer ladder.”
Such a ladder was described in the biblical account of Jacob when he came to rest at nightfall after fleeing from his brother, Esau, whom he had badly wronged (see Genesis 28:10–15 ). In the story, Jacob has a dream: “And behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” (verse 12). God then gives Jacob reassurances as to his stature and the meaning of his life.
In her book Retrospection and Introspection, Mary Baker Eddy comments on this concept, “Of this also rest assured, that books and teaching are but a ladder let down from the heaven of Truth and Love, upon which angelic thoughts ascend and descend, bearing on their pinions of light the Christ-spirit” (p. 85 ).
One way I use this “ladder let down from [the] heaven,” is to begin my day by reading the weekly Christian Science Bible Lesson. I also take my Pastor (the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy) with me as I visit different clients. I do this by listening to an audio version of the Bible Lesson on my iPod, which I clip to my work apron.
As I go about my work, I may listen to the Lesson several times until I am satisfied that I have clearly understood and heard all the ideas voiced. I’ll hit “replay,” and try to discover the theme of each section and of the overall Lesson, and really listen for what jumps out and grabs my attention. Then I’ll also spend time listening more intently—choosing individual words, phrases, or sentences to pray with.
By the end of the week, portions of the Lesson become so familiar, inspiring, and transformational to my thinking, that I truly feel as though the ideas are tailor-made for me. I’ll pray with these concepts, and apply the truth and wisdom behind them to my thoughts about situations in my life and in the world around me.
One day while cleaning a client’s home, I was listening to the Lesson in this way, but inwardly felt very frustrated. I had started a freelance writing business that really needed my time and attention, and on top of that, my own house needed cleaning. Yet here I was cleaning someone else’s house. I felt trapped! Of course, I continued the job, but I also continued with my plan of prayerful study, in spite of my frustrations.
Then, I came to a section in the Lesson where in Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy uses the phrase “fetterless Mind” (p. 84 ). That rang like a bell in my thinking. I reasoned that if divine Mind is fetterless—meaning free or unbound—then I as Mind’s reflection couldn’t be fettered. Just because my cleaning business required me to be in one place, didn’t mean I couldn’t pray about what needed attention in another place. I began to affirm that Mind is caring for every aspect of my life, including the cleanliness of my house and the success of my second business. I recognized that I could not be stopped from making progress.
Soon, my thought was sailing! I received a hint of what it means to be the man of God’s creating, unfettered by human conditions or location. I felt free and continued my work with joy. Over time, I have seen the results of these prayers as I have discovered new strategies that are helpful for keeping my house tidier, and my second business continues to develop as well.
Whether we read the Bible Lesson or listen to an audio version; whether, like Jacob, we’re in a tough spot; or whether we’re on a pleasant vacation, working on a farm, commuting, running in the park, or cleaning house, as we open our thought to the healing ideas in the Lesson, we’ll find that spiritual “ladder” connecting us to divine Mind’s unfettered direction.
—Linda Gridley Lane, Swanzey, New Hampshire, US