February 6, 2023
Why am I not in church?
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One day when I attended my usually vibrant and full branch church, the attendance was so sparse that I realized that this unnatural, unchristian apathy had to be addressed prayerfully—and that it had to start with me.
Would-be stumbling blocks—seemingly ingrained thoughts that would suggest to me that our business was not good enough, that the country’s economy was going downhill, and so on—were overcome through daily prayer.
Under God’s control, which is not optional, man cannot desire to harm himself or others. Rather, the divine Mind impels him to do good to his fellow man.
Mortals may climb the smooth glaciers, leap the dark fissures, scale the treacherous ice, and stand on the summit of Mont Blanc; but they can never turn back what Deity knoweth, nor escape from identification with what dwelleth in the eternal Mind.—Mary Baker Eddy, Unity of Good, p. 64
Whether facing a global tyrant, a threatening political leader, a domineering boss, or an intimidating family member, the same rule of “Love your enemies” applies, disarming the perceived enemy and rendering them harmless.
God was right there with me, loving me and taking care of me, and I could think about God’s love instead of the fall.
I prayerfully insisted, first mentally and then out loud, that I was fine.
As I thought about that instruction to take no thought for what we eat, I knew I surely couldn’t follow it and at the same time believe that food or drink could have any effect on me, including a negative one.
I felt the presence and power of God, divine Love, ever with me and was deeply grateful for previous healings I had experienced in Christian Science.
The name Jacob has been interpreted as supplanter or finagler, a trait that is erased in his spiritual struggle at Peniel.
