Article April 1, 2019 Issue

No ‘what ifs’ in God

Kaye Cover

I remember years ago recounting to a Christian Science practitioner a litany of concerns that all started with the phrase “What if”—what if such and such happens and what if that leads to something worse? He kindly interrupted me, suggesting that I stop worrying about the “what ifs” and focus on what is—what is true from a spiritual standpoint right now. Good idea. I wasn’t currently experiencing any of those things that were stressing me out—they were all dire predictions. Rather than be filled with worry, I should have more faith in good—in God and His control over my life. I snapped out of it and stopped worrying about the future, grateful for the reminder to place my trust in the omnipotence of God. 

To feel the sense of security in our lives that comes from spiritual understanding, we must learn to differentiate between what seems true from a limited, matter-based point of view, and what actually is true, God-ordained, and discerned only through what Mary Baker Eddy calls “spiritual sense.” Accepting what we see with the material senses as true and real often induces fear and instability, while an uplifted spiritual view provides comfort and practical results. 

The Bible, specifically a spiritual understanding of it, is essential in helping us understand the truth of being. I find three Bible passages particularly helpful in this regard. The first is in Acts: “In him we live, and move, and have our being” (17:28). Since God is Spirit, and since we live in Him, as this verse states, then we must be spiritual not material. If we dwell in Spirit, then in reality we can’t be subject to any frightening “what if” scenarios, because Spirit, God, is good and all-powerful. Christ Jesus’ statement “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) is another helpful idea. Since we are “all one in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:28), we too must be one with God, and therefore, only what is true of God can be true of us. We cannot be floundering mortals outside of God’s love and protection. 

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Unerring direction from God—whether or not we ask
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