Article October 8, 2018 ISSUE

No conflict in God’s kingdom

Carol Coykendall Raner

Not long ago, a situation came up in which I was convinced I had the right plan of action. The trouble was that my friend also had “the right plan,” but it was different from mine. However, just when it looked as if conflicting opinions might lead us into an argument, I remembered something I had learned in my study of Christian Science—that God, who is infinite, all-knowing Mind, is the only true source of thought, and Mind’s ideas can never conflict with each other. 

In the human sense of things, there seem to be many finite minds, each with its own perspective and self-interest. But if divine Mind is in fact the only true intelligence, then everything that truly exists, including man (meaning everyone), is an idea in this one Mind, and reflects God’s thoughts.  

Unlimited Love is caring for each of us and providing all the good we could possibly need or want.

Christian Science reveals and explains that as children of God we can never be denied, or left out of, God’s kingdom, because in reality that is where we all live. We are always in our right place, always in harmony with whatever God is unfolding. Any suggestion to the contrary is based on the mistaken concept—the illusion of material sense—that we are mortal beings existing in a material world, destined to compete with others who are trying to fulfill their own wishes, which may conflict with ours.

So rather than either insisting on having my own way or giving in to my friend and feeling deprived, I decided to set aside human opinions, pray to see that we both have the same Mind, and ask Mind to guide us. In the past, letting go of my personal views had often tempted me to feel disappointed or resentful, but this time I caught the error in my thinking before it could cause friction. This time I trusted that God, the Father-Mother of us both, knew what was best and would show us the way. Since God is infinite, I felt confident that His resources were big enough to meet the needs of each of us. And before long a third plan naturally came together, one that we were both happy with. 

Our happiness and well-being are not dependent on getting our personal wishes fulfilled; rather, we are benefited by recognizing that our real, spiritual selves include only pure thoughts and desires coming from God, who is expressing His ideas in us. Nothing, and no one, can be outside of God, divine Mind, or at odds with His law of harmony. So the key to resolving conflict is understanding man’s oneness with God. God, who is unlimited Love, is caring for each of us and providing all the good we could possibly need or want. 

As Mary Baker Eddy writes on page one of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds.”

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