Article June 14, 1999 Issue

Defend yourself—be spiritually alert

Don't be robbed of health and happiness.

By Judith Hahnssen-Schwab

The fold-away steps of our thirty-six-foot travel trailer are narrow and a little shaky. I was just beginning to descend them with my arms full of household goods that I was transferring to our new Texas home. Suddenly, my husband asked me a question, and I turned my attention to him. At that moment I missed the next step and fell sideways and slightly under the trailer. As I struck the asphalt surface of our driveway, two things happened. First came a loud thud and crack from my shoulder. Next came a thought I had been pondering and studying for several weeks: "This is a mental suggestion. And since when do I agree with every suggestion I hear?" In this case, the suggestion was twofold: that man could fall from God's all-presence and that something could be unsafe, shocking, and harmful in God's universe.

Now, those thoughts could have been grounds for concern if I had heeded them. Instead, I chose to see them as having no more power than if someone had come to my home to suggest, "It's a beautiful day—let's go rob a bank." My natural response to such a ludicrous offer is obvious: "No!" If, however, the suggestion were to come from someone whom I respected or trusted, it's possible I might hesitate and feel a need to justify my response with "It would break the law" or "It could land me in jail." Such hesitation and justification would indicate that, for a split second at least, I thought maybe my "friend" had a valid point I should consider.

In this case, the five physical senses might be likened to that friend coming to my home (my consciousness) to suggest that I rob a bank. Only here the suggestion was not that I rob someone else but rather that I could be robbed—of health and harmony. I quickly and emphatically said "No."

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