What is it like to experience a wholly divine calmness? Alertness to the need for calm and the recognition of God’s loving presence can still storms of anger in interactions with others. Sometimes, when frustrated by such circumstances, we may feel justified in getting annoyed and say and do things that cause more harm than good. As a student of Christian Science, I found that I needed to grow in this area of spiritual development. Watching one’s own temperament when dealing with others is particularly important with increased, easy access to global communication via social and public platforms. 

I’ve found it very helpful to understand what God knows of peace and its power to heal. Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science, writes, “To remove the error producing disorder, you must calm and instruct mortal mind with immortal Truth” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 415). It takes persistence and instruction by divine Truth to keep alarming mortal thoughts from intruding upon one’s natural trust in God’s divine direction and unconditional love. 

Years ago, when disturbed by a critical or challenging comment in a personal or business situation, I would use positive thinking to switch off the impulse to feel defensive. Later, I learned this approach merely postponed the healing of latent resentment. As time went on, I learned that the results of reliance on psychological methods were unsatisfying and short-lived.