Imagine getting into a sailboat on a lovely day with the hope of seeing miles of beautiful coastline and sparkling ocean—but never unmooring your boat from the dock. You won’t see very much!

Figuratively speaking, though, many of us actually do this all the time. We try to set sail in our quest for spirituality, for a higher sense of who we are as the image and likeness of God, while still hanging on to a sense of ourselves—our story, our likes and dislikes, our opinions or view of things, our losses, fears, and physical status—as material. And because we remain moored to this false perspective, we don’t attain that higher view.

We need to open our arms and let the winds of God blow away the residue of a mortal sense of life. 

The first chapter of the Bible sets forth that view. It describes the nature of God’s creation as spiritual and good, like God, Spirit. As His reflection, our true being is forever unlimited, utterly innocent, and infinitely intelligent. Why would we want to hold on to belief in anything inferior to this true view of God and His children? And how can we move forward to see more of the reality, sublimity, and joy of spiritual creation?

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, states: “We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us” (p. 201).

She uses the word tatters again in these lines from a poem titled “Satisfied”:

Although one is a noun and the other a verb, these usages of tatters complement each other so well. If we are striving to understand that God is good and that truth tatters the false fears that suggest otherwise, then it doesn’t make any sense to hold on to those tatters of fear and false beliefs. Instead of hugging close the residue of a mortal sense of life, we need to open our arms and let the winds of God blow it away.

How can we move forward to see more of the reality, sublimity, and joy of spiritual creation?

After my husband passed on, one of the things I had to let go of was the fear of driving long distances. He had always done that; he loved to drive. I drove occasionally but tended to feel very drowsy when I drove even for an hour. After much prayer, I realized that God would be with me no matter where I was, and the fear dissolved. I then took my first of what became several trips in which I drove 12 hours over two days to visit my daughter. A couple of years later, I drove twenty-two hundred miles one way with my dog—an added level of complexity—and then back again.

I had company all along the way: audio versions of the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons, the Sentinel, The Christian Science Journal, and the Sentinel Watch podcast. These angel messages from God kept me awake, alert, and inspired. What a wonderful feature—to be able to continuously play audio recordings of these publications!

I am so glad I opened my arms to God and let those tatters fly away. I feel freer and more confident that God is right with me, no matter where or what.

Because God is infinite, ever-present Mind—our only Mind—we know that our true source is divine Spirit, not matter; divine Truth, not error; limitless divine Life, not a limited, material sense of existence. So it’s natural for us to choose God’s expansive, fearless, beautiful freedom and set sail!