Our lives are the gift of divine Life, God, and Life is always what’s truly going on. It’s Life that we are naturally drawn to, and we are benefited by steadfastly holding it in thought. Despite this, however, there are times when we can feel a pull to focus on death—if grieving a personal loss, when reading reports of a war with mounting casualties, or even when coming out of a movie centered on a tragic fatality.

So how do we get back to and follow that natural pull to Life if we’re feeling a fascination with mortality? I was alerted to the need for this at a time when I had developed an unhealthy appetite for true crime stories. I saw that I was filling my thought with death experiences in a way that was bringing me insecurity, not satisfaction, and undermining my clarity and confidence in God, Spirit, as the Life of all. What brought me freedom was realizing that the desire to be a help and a healer for others was more compelling to me than any morbid impulsion. Turning instead to influences that would lead to the understanding of Life as God, which is the only sound basis for pursuing joy and goodness, I soon found spiritual interests vastly more satisfying. In this refreshed mental environment, ideas on important subjects became less cloudy, and my time was filled with finding fulfillment in divine Life and in praying for others.

The reason we are drawn to Life is that we are the children of divine Life, God, and our true, spiritual identity finds expression in a deep desire for divine good. We thirst to know the real, spiritual nature of our lives the way a plant requires water. So when someone is troubled or curious over death, this longing can be quenched by gaining a deeper understanding of what is true and eternal. While grief or concern at someone’s passing can lead to a fear that the Science of eternal Life is inconsistent or impractical, prayer can guide us to the living waters of Christ as we listen for God leading us to the healing response that will meet the need.