One day I found myself ruminating about world affairs, and a feeling of being flattened by the incessant bombardment of disheartening events descended on me. As I am accustomed to doing, I turned to God in prayer. As I did, this question presented itself to me: “Am I believing that evil needs to make a big bang or eruption by way of hurricanes, fires, riots, murders, injustice, corruption, contagious disease, financial loss, etc., before it is destroyed?” My immediate response was, “No!” 

The spiritual truth in a particular passage written by Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, offered me assurance of this: “The pent-up elements of mortal mind need no terrible detonation to free them. Envy, rivalry, hate need no temporary indulgence that they be destroyed through suffering; they should be stifled from lack of air and freedom” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 356).

One of the reasons I knew this was true is that Christ Jesus taught that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15), and that it includes only good and therefore does not include or give life to evil in any form. A healing I had around this time brought encouraging evidence of this, helping me recognize that the kingdom of God is come and is at hand for the world and me.