Doing The Most We Can

Enhanced photo by Aaron Springston

I love to sit on my back deck, where nothing exists other than the forest and sky, with the insects and birds talking to me. My gratitude for this peace is all-encompassing. Of course, we are conditioned to feel guilty when we are happy in spite of other people’s misery and fear, so the thought crossed my mind that I should feel bad for others. But this was quickly corrected, because I know that no matter how awful I feel about the plight of another, it will do nothing to improve their lot. This does not mean that I have no compassion for them, but that I correct the picture of despair in my thoughts and see them according to the first book of Genesis rather than the second: God created everything and it was good. That is the spiritual reality of Life. So rather than dwelling on images burned into my retina by my knowledge of world events, I translate them into the purity of creation in its natural state: Love. The compassion I feel for all of the earth is not dimmed by my turning away from the material picture; rather it expands to include everything in the panoply of this Love This is the least I can do for my earthly family — or perhaps it’s the most.

“The notion of a material universe is utterly opposed to the theory of man as evolved from Mind. Such fundamental errors send falsity into all human doctrines and conclusions, and do not accord infinity to Deity. Error tills the whole ground in this material theory, which is entirely a false view, destructive to existence and happiness.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 545:1-5

“Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.”
—A Course in Miracles W-23.1:4-5

Trusting Your News Source

When the leader of a country repeatedly tells his constituents that the news outlets they are trusting are not trustworthy, a number of things happen. Some people throw up their hands and believe nothing can be trusted, which leads to a fear of our government officials, the election process, and ultimately any agency in charge of helping us. Many of us have been checking the veracity of what we are being told, but it is a laborious, time-consuming effort. And not everyone has the computer skills necessary to unravel the web of deceit which has been purposefully woven. Most of us have news sources which we trust, but how do we know if they are truly trustworthy? Even if they are accurate, some news is often not reported and the information may be an important foundational element of the “whole story”. With all this in mind, I have downloaded the app for Ground News. Within this source is all the news, with a gauge of how much coverage is being given by left/center/right sources, and the ability to click and receive a synopsis or a link to each and every story listed. There are typically 20-30 source stories for each headline and synopsis, which can be accessed if you so desire. This is a huge time saver and gives us the ability to stay informed and retain our sanity. Finally some good news!

“To my sense, the most imminent dangers confronting the coming century are: the robbing of people of life and liberty under the warrant of the Scriptures; the claims of politics and of human power, industrial slavery, and insufficient freedom of honest competition; and ritual, creed, and trusts in place of the Golden Rule, ‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.’”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellaneous Writings Page 266:1-9

“If data are meaningless there is no point in analyzing them. The function of truth is to collect information that is true. Any way you handle error results in nothing. The more complicated the results become the harder it may be to recognize their nothingness, but it is not necessary to examine all possible outcomes to which premises give rise in order to judge them truly.”

—A Course in Miracles T-8.VIII.6:5-9

Clearing Out Clutter

Photo courtesy of Kailey Jones

Most people seem to be getting rid of things they don’t need. We’re letting go of items which are cluttering up our houses and material surroundings. More importantly, we're clearing out thoughts and beliefs which no longer are needed in our new-found perception of reality. As with our surroundings, we look through the accumulation of years and decide what to release and what to keep. Sometimes we keep more than we had planned, but with our mental clutter, there is very little which needs to stay. Just as we accumulate more and more books and music and all sorts of things, we also accumulate erroneous beliefs. Isn't it just as easy to hold on to Truth as it is error? Now is the time to do just that!

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right. The illusion of material sense, not divine law, has bound you, entangled your free limbs, crippled your capacities, enfeebled your body, and defaced the tablet of your being.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 227:24-29

“… no form of exercise is urged, except a deep relinquishment of everything that clutters up the mind, and makes it deaf to reason, sanity and simple truth.”
—A Course in Miracles W-rVI.in.3:8

Together

William Blake said: "I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine Love". I understand this to mean that the perfection we are learning to see as ourselves, also is everyone else. I often tell people “We’re all in this together”, but I think I’ll change it to “We are all this – together!” I love the study of the Science of Being! Every day, every moment, revelations in thought bring me a deeper understanding of how this Truth sets us free. I am learning more of what it means that God is Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. It's joyous to expand understanding, including myself in that definition, as a reflection of All that Is!

“So-called mineral, vegetable, and animal substances are no more contingent now on time or material structure than they were when ‘the morning stars sang together.’ Mind made the ‘plant of the field before it was in the earth.’ The periods of spiritual ascension are the days and seasons of Mind’s creation, in which beauty, sublimity, purity, and holiness — yea, the divine nature — appear in man and the universe never to disappear.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 509:20-28

“We who are one would recognize this day the truth about ourselves. We would come home, and rest in unity. For there is peace, and nowhere else can peace be sought and found.”
—A Course in Miracles W-262.2:3

Making Sense of Life

Good Friend, Sharon

“A man’s beliefs are how he makes sense of life.Take that away, and what does he have left?” While at a delightful event benefiting our local library system, these words from the series Outlander came to mind more than once. In our small town, we make sense of life through our connections with each other. The community dinner tonight was delightful for many reasons — a short Agatha Christie-style play in honor of the overall theme of Murder on the Orient Express, dinner catered by a local cafe, a silent auction of goods and art from local businesses and people — but the most joy came from our interactions with each other. The group of 150 or so people were almost all acquainted, and we were happy to visit and laugh together. And that’s why the above quote was in my thoughts: we make sense of life through each other, through friendships, through our children’s sporting events, through library dinners. We don’t need to rely on beliefs when we have knowledge of one another. It makes sense …

“The world becomes a place of hope, because its only purpose is to be a place where hope of happiness can be fulfilled. And no one stands outside this hope, because the world has been united in belief the purpose of the world is one which all must share, if hope be more than just a dream.”
—A Course in Miracles T-30.V.2:7-8

“Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind as the cause of every effect.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 268: 6-9

Each Heartbeat Brings Peace

Photo by Aaron Springston

Living the peace of God may seem like a fantasy to those who abide by the laws of materiality. It's a common belief that in order to live in peace a person must be delusional, sticking their head in the sand, or at least denying reality in favor of wishful thinking. But many of us see this state of mind in another way. As we learn about the Truth of our being, we are able to glimpse this peace, and the joy it brings. This joy spreads exponentially through our daily activities, as it is expressed through our actions and words. This state of mind does more for the world than all the preaching we may be tempted to do!

“My heart is beating in the peace of God. Surrounding me is all the life that God created in His Love. It calls to me in every heartbeat and in every breath; in every action and in every thought. Peace fills my heart, and floods my body with the purpose of forgiveness. Now my mind is healed, and all I need to save the world is given me. Each heartbeat brings me peace; each breath infuses me with strength. I am a messenger of God, directed by His Voice, sustained by Him in love, and held forever quiet and at peace within His loving Arms. Each heartbeat calls His Name, and every one is answered by His Voice, assuring me I am at home in Him.”
—A Course in Miracles W-267.1:1

“Teach them that their being is sustained by Spirit, not by matter, and that they find health, peace, and harmony in God, divine Love.”
—Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 416:32-2

Let it Be …

Do you know anyone who plays events over and over in their mind, making assumptions about why things were said or done, then trying to find solutions to fix everyone involved? A friend received a phone call from someone she hadn’t heard from in the past few years. She didn’t answer the call and was full of worries as to what she may have done wrong which caused her friend to break off contact with her. While I try not to laugh in the face of others’ distress, I couldn’t help myself this time! I quickly reminded her of The Four Agreements, in particular “don’t make assumptions” and “don’t take anything personally”. After a brief conversation, we ended our call and she contacted her old friend. And sure enough, she had done nothing wrong; her friend was going through a rough time and needed a friendly shoulder to lean on. How much easier life is without speculations and suppositions!

“Let all things be exactly as they are. Let me not be Your critic, Lord, today, and judge against You. Let me not attempt to interfere with Your creation, and distort it into sickly forms. Let me be willing to withdraw my wishes from its unity, and thus to let it be as You created it. For thus will I be able, too, to recognize my Self as You created me. In love was I created, and in love will I remain forever. What can frighten me, when I let all things be exactly as they are?

“Let not our sight be blasphemous today, nor let our ears attend to lying tongues. Only reality is free of pain. Only reality is free of loss. Only reality is wholly safe. And it is only this we seek today.”
—A Course in Miracles W-268.1:1–2:5

"Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to a diviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal.”
—Mary Baker Eddy — Science & Health Page: 563: 1-3