It was a beautiful day for birding. Not that I am much of a bird enthusiast, but my dear friend Doramay was willing to guide me through one of our city paths, and a wetlands area, in search of a large horned owl.

Doramay loves birds. That morning I had the opportunity to learn from her expertise—and as it turned out to gain a fresh insight into God's nature at the same time.

When we started, I recognized the path as one I'd biked before. At first glance I saw a lake, trees, and a bunch of ducks. Nothing special or spectacular. Admittedly, I was looking through the eyes of a very novice birder; yet, as another hiker left the path, he advised us that there was little bird activity. But Doramay had different ideas. Confident that there were wonders to be seen in the marsh, she led me forward down the path, then handed me binoculars and pointed to a large bush on the lake. I saw nothing but a bush. With the binoculars, all I saw was a magnified bush.

Then at my friend's direction, I adjusted the focus of the binoculars, and this revealed a beautiful ruby-crowned kinglet flitting in a maze of branches. For me, it was a moment of simple, exquisite harmony. On that walk we saw a wide variety of birds, including great blue herons, wood ducks, and even that large horned owl.

The lessons Doramay taught me about birding that morning still resonate with lessons about life in God. They made me wonder, as well, how many other lovely activities are going on around me, which I'll become aware of through a mere change of perspective. Since that outing, I've also discovered that as I let my glance rest on God, spiritual activity is more real and alive to me. To me, this Christly vision is at the heart of healing.

On a simple level, many people feel that an attitude of hope and expectancy has a positive effect on the quality of day-to-day life. And I know that as I go about consciously highlighting the good I see in others, I tend to see more and more goodness around me, and I'm happier.

On a more profound level, however, it's as we discipline ourselves to look beyond material appearances, striving to witness the activity of Spirit, God, that we naturally see evidence of His goodness already there. Just as the flitting of the ruby-crowned kinglet became clear to me when the binocular lenses were adjusted, spiritual reality—the kingdom of heaven—reveals itself to our enlightened thought. This spiritual sensing, or seeing, belongs to us because we're God's image.

The Bible provides directions to nurture this ability when it quotes Jesus as saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself" (Luke 10:27). For me, loving "the Lord thy God with all thy heart" means to constantly acknowledge Him as our first love, our closest friend, our constant companion. Striving to keep our eye on God as the source of all the good we have, or hope to have, brings the peace and clarity I experienced on our bird walk.

Sometimes when I'm talking to a friend who is upset or has a problem, I've been tempted inadvertently to mirror back to them their own emotions. Seeing only the material evidence at hand, I've unwittingly accepted limitations such as sin, disease, fear, hopelessness, as realities.

But Christian Science, founded on Jesus' message of healing salvation, has taught me to turn to God, to Love itself, to see something better. More and more I'm able to allow the Christ—defined in part by Mary Baker Eddy as "the divine manifestation of God" (Science and Health,p.583)—to become the object of my focus, instead of a mentally or physically diseased mortal. Consciously acknowledging Love as the infinite and only source of all being allows me to naturally reflect God, by showing love, kindness, and patience, understanding that whatever God manifests is healthy and content. This is the practice of Christianity, the Science of healing; and, "The effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind" (ibid., p. 162). This gentle, spiritual activity allows Truth to neutralize hopelessness, fear, and hurt with hope and healing.

Yet sometimes, despite the best efforts to stay focused on spiritual reality, anyone can feel stuck. Thoughts may come shouting that the essence of your being is not good. You may even find yourself arguing, "I'm only human!"

Suggestions that your true nature is not perfect and good can be thought of as "dead truisms," as Mrs. Eddy once referred to them. And you're free to reject them even at this very moment. "Most of us willingly accept dead truisms," she wrote, "which can be buried at will; but a live truth, even though it be a sapling within rich soil and with blossoms on its branches, frightens people. The trenchant truth that cuts its way through iron and sod, most men avoid until compelled to glance at it. Then they open their hearts to it for actual being, health, holiness, and immortality" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist,and Miscellany, p.160).

Spiritual reality comes alive when it is our heart's desire to see it. This desire is the love, the longing, found in the deepest part of our being. It's natural to everyone. And it's always answered.

About four years ago, I had a series of severe headaches. One day in the shower, I was trying to find some relief and to pray effectively. I was remembering truths about my nature as God's child. I was trying to think about synonyms for God, such as Life, Truth, Love, Principle, Soul, Spirit, Mind. I wondered, "How do these synonyms define me?" And in all honesty I was lost. The ideas sounded like babbling words without life. Although they had brought me healing, and I knew there was something tangible about them, spirituality at that moment did not seem alive in me.

But I knew the Bible can be trusted when it states, "Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). This promises that we will find God as we seek Her. So I continued. I started my prayer again, thinking about Love and the nature of Love. I reasoned that I naturally reflect love as God's child. And all of a sudden, in the middle of my prayer, I realized that to me God isn't just Love theoretically; I realized that I actively love that God is Love. I love that God is Principle. I love all that is included in God's nature. Spontaneously, I spoke out loud, "These truths about my spiritual nature are not abstract computations. These truths are dear, devoted friends." And they are. Simple and dependable. Worthy to be cherished and adored. These ideas are pure goodness, the essential components of my being. They are the breath of life itself.

For a few moments, an irresistible joy came over me. I was so excited about this revolutionary insight that the headache disappeared. I've had only one since then, and it was healed within minutes. That was four years ago. This experience left me seeing more clearly that everyone has the ability to use the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, as a practical guide for healing and others. And it illustrated for me this statement: "As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible" (Science and Health, p. 264). Eventually, God compels us all to rise to see His perfect creation, just as birds in the marsh seek flight. CSS