The truth about our situation

God’s presence doesn’t depend on us; it depends on Him.

Originally published for the Christian Science Sentinel online on April 27, 2023

Sleeping soundly, I was in the midst of a delightful dream. All of a sudden, I heard a familiar “tap, tap” on the window. I groggily woke up and let my cat in from the porch. As I settled back down, a gentle thought came: “No matter what you were dreaming, your cat knew you were right there.” This thought intrigued me, and I considered it more deeply and prayerfully.

I soon realized there was an apt analogy here to our relation to God. No matter what presentation of discord or enrapture from the physical senses we might be experiencing, our Father-Mother God knows exactly where we really are and is always able to reach us. This comforting thought assures us that God’s presence is not conditional on whether we are aware of Him or can feel His presence. Because God is infinite, He is always present. In other words, God’s presence doesn’t depend on us; it depends on Him.

What the physical senses say about our situation isn’t real; it’s a dream. What is real is the allness of God, divine Spirit. And when understood along with God’s nature as good itself, this precludes the possibility of reality in evil or discord of any sort, so the only place we can truly be is the kingdom of Spirit, where we are immersed in divine goodness, governed by God’s law of harmony.

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