Article May 2, 2016 Issue

Shielded from a violent fight

Mary Ann Livingston

Many years ago I lived in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a busy and vibrant section of New York City. One day in the early afternoon I was walking to a bus stop when I saw my landlord heading toward me. We were in the middle of a legal dispute, and our encounters had been unpleasant for some time. So I dreaded seeing him. 

But then I noticed where my thoughts were headed, and I decided to stop ruminating and to turn my thought to God in prayer. I asked God to help me see this man as God saw him, as loving and honest, as the image and likeness of God, expressing God’s spiritual qualities. 

Beyond that request, I don’t remember any more specifics of my prayer, but I’m sure in some way I was acknowledging God as all good, all power, and all presence; as the creator of each and every one of us, including my landlord. That meant that in reality, as the creation of God, Spirit, my landlord (like everyone) was actually spiritual, not material, reflecting God’s goodness and truth. 

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