Article April 9, 2012 Issue

Spiritual safety on and off the slopes

Pollyann Winslow

Prayer is wide-reaching and wonderfully inclusive. It brings the effects of good to all people and on all things. When we pray for God’s protection we may not even recognize all the ways in which we have been protected. Hymn 53 in the Christian Science Hymnal reads in part, “Everlasting arms of Love / Are beneath, around, above.” God’s loving embrace leaves no room for any fearful thoughts or harmful action. It reminds us of the allness of God’s goodness, which protects us even in unexpected circumstances.

For several years, I have had the joy of being a chaperone for a group of Christian Science teens for a winter ski weekend in New England. We go to a resort in New Hampshire to ski, sled, and play in the snow together. The teens swim in the indoor pool, warm up in the hot tub, and quickly get out to take a picture of swimmers “steaming off” in the snow. We have a bonfire on the lake and hold inspirational talks about healing, prayer, and the practical application of Christian Science. The travel, activity, and harmony of the weekend is always prayerfully supported by the parents, teens, and chaperones, as well as a Christian Science practitioner.

In praying for and about the ski weekend over the years, I’ve often thought about this declaration in the Bible: “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust” (Psalm 91:4). In today’s terms, we might refer to that image as a “safety bubble.” It’s the environment where only good is present. But we are also faced with this question: If God’s protection is constant, what about accidents? We might begin with Mary Baker Eddy’s statement that “accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind . . .” (Science and Health, p. 424). That tells me that God knows nothing about error. I don’t need to look for any cause associated with a belief of an accident because God is the only cause, and the great I am causes only good to happen. There simply cannot be any bad effects from the one and only omnipotent creator, divine Mind. Eddy’s sentence continues, “and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God’s unerring direction and thus bring out harmony.” 