Article March 19, 2012 Issue

How do you feel God's blessing?

By Patricia Sharp

Recently I was talking to a friend at church who had encountered many severe problems with her family over the years. But I rebelled against the thought that anyone could be left out of the blessing God has for His beloved children. In Science and Health the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, stated in the very first line of the book: “To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings” (p. vii).

So I asked myself, what are these blessings that can be gained simply by “leaning” on the infinite? It can sometimes seem to be quite a battle when we’re praying for help. We may mistakenly believe that we can’t demonstrate God’s power in our experience because we’re not worthy in some way. It’s vital to understand that we’re not earning some reward from God, that we could do the wrong thing and forfeit divine help, or that perhaps God might withhold a blessing for some reason. Jesus corrected these mistaken concepts by saying: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Jesus is addressing us as sheep in a flock. Now a flock always has a shepherd and the sheep aren’t expected to figure out where to go and how to stay safe; that’s the shepherd’s job. Next, “good pleasure” and the verb “give” define God’s willingness to provide all good for us, since that is His nature. Sheep don’t earn the shepherd’s care; the shepherd cares for each one equally no matter what difficulties confront them.

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