Letting Go Of Self-Justification

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Reading an article entitled, "Letting Go Of Self-Justification", brought back memories of times I was positive someone else had caused me to behave badly. Even saying that brings a feeling of embarrassment. No one can "make" me behave in any way. But a sense of self-righteous certainty can turn any situation around and allow us to justify, in our own mind, almost anything we do or say. We see a lot of this occurring around us in the world, brought into our living rooms via media of various sorts, justified by newscasters and others. I feel certain every person who stormed the Capital on January 6 feels they did so for a righteous cause and would be happy to tell you how they were justified in their actions. This is but one example, and I use this one because it is so glaring, so in-our-faces, so undeniably awful. The events I recalled from my own life are actions toward another person; things for which I have apologized, but perhaps am still feeling justified in saying or doing. So I'm going to ponder them deeply and perhaps I will make a few phone calls and deliver sincere, deep apologies. I love the Holy-Days!!

"Sorry for wrong-doing is but one step towards reform and the very easiest step. The next and great step required by wisdom is the test of our sincerity, -- namely, reformation." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 5

Learning What is Good For the World

 

Waldemar Finke - Shepherdess with Herd at the Alps During Sunrise,1908.

"We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.” 

Wendell Berry

Cause For Fear?

 

Newton County, Arkansas

photo by Tim Ernst

Visiting with an old friend today brought many new thoughts into my head. This kind, gentle woman feels the need to have a gun in her house, a sign on her front door stating that fact, and a sophisticated security system which gives her the ability to shout warnings at people walking onto “her property”. I put this in quotations because she used the phrase numerous times. Of course, the logic cannot be refuted when analyzed from a material, logical standpoint. Statistics show senseless shootings, robberies, and other heinous crimes are happening all the time. Other than a few questions asked of her for my own clarification, I remained silent during her recounting of strangers coming to her door and her subsequent actions. Perhaps the almost-two-years I’ve spent in semi-seclusion have narrowed my field of vision, keeping me from understanding this fear. I was raised by parents who had lived through two world wars and a devastating economic depression. They had many reasons to live in fear, and were extremely cautious and conservative in their thinking. Because of this, I understand people’s concerns about violence and lack. This is something I’m going to seriously ponder, because I don’t even know where my house key is and my front door doesn’t shut all the way. Namaste…

“The Apostle John says: 'There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not made perfect in Love.' Here is a definite and inspired proclamation of Christian Science." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 410:17-21

“No one attacks without intent to hurt. This can have no exception. When you think that you attack in self-defense, you mean that to be cruel is protection; you are safe because of cruelty. You mean that you believe to hurt another brings you freedom. And you mean that to attack is to exchange the state in which you are for something better, safer, more secure from dangerous invasion and from fear.” A Course in Miracles W-170.1.

Why Is It So Difficult?

 

photo credit: Heather Peters

There are literally hundreds of translations of the Bible upon which most Christians base their faith. Individual understanding of these words seem to be facilitated by preachers and other religious teachers. Most people never read the Bible, but rely on what they are told by these learned folks. One sect thinks blood transfusions are against the laws of God. That idea is based on the same chapter of the Old Testament wherein others find scripture which forbid them from eating shellfish and associating with homosexuals. The god represented in the early chapters of this Bible is a rather harsh entity. The crass laws Moses brought down from the mountain are full of warnings and threats. Jesus brought us simpler rules, much easier to understand and apply. Love everybody; love God. It seems pretty simple, but we humans like to complicate things. I've spent half a century trying to understand why we make life so difficult. I like the way A Course in Miracles explains all this mess. It's just ego. Not Ego, as in the way Mary Baker Eddy describes it, but ego, as in yours and mine fighting to be right about everything. But I keep coming back to the same question: Why is it so difficult to love everybody? 

"Our goal is but to follow in the way that leads to You. We have no goal but this. What could we want but to remember You? What could we seek but our Identity?" A Course in Miracles

"Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth, nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us into all Truth. Such a desire has little need of audible expression. It is best expressed in thought and in life." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 11:28-32

Mrs. Smith Thinks She's Dead

 

Years ago, when our nearly 100-year-old Christian Science church was on the Christmas Tour of Homes, a man came in and told me he knew lots of Baptist jokes, because that's what he was, but he only knew one Christian Science joke, and asked if I wanted to hear it. Of course I did! A little girl comes home from school and tells her mother that her teacher, Mrs. Smith, is sick. The girl's mom says, No, dear, she only thinks she's sick. A few days later the girl comes home and tells her mother that Mrs. Smith is still sick. The mother once again explains that Mrs. Smith only thinks she's sick. A few days later the little girl comes home and tells her mom that Mrs. Smith thinks she's dead. While I chuckled with him over this joke, I also told him that the reason it was really funny was because it was true! And then we had a big laugh!

"The artist is not in his painting. The picture is the artist's thought objectified. The human belief fancies that it delineates thought on matter, but what is matter? Did it exist prior to thought? Matter is made up of supposititious mortal mind-force; but all might is divine Mind. Thought will finally be understood and seen in all form, substance, and color, but without material accompaniments. The potter is not in the clay; else the clay would have power over the potter. God is His own infinite Mind, and expresses all."Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 310:1-10

Tasting Mindfulness

 

Crescent Hotel - Eureka Springs, AR

photo credit: Harrison Sutcliffe

Embracing Formal Practice: Tasting Mindfulness

- by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Have you ever had the experience of stopping so completely?

of being in your body so completely,

of being in your life so completely

that you knew and what you didn’t know

that what had been and what was yet to come,

and the way things are right now

no longer held even the slightest hint of anxiety or discord?

It would be a moment of complete presence, beyond striving,

beyond mere acceptance,

beyond the desire to escape or fix anything or plunge ahead,

a moment of pure seeing, pure feeling,

a moment in which life simply is,

and that ‘isness’ grabs you by all your senses,

all your memories, by all your very genes,

by your loves, and

welcomes you home”

By: Jon Kabat-Zinn

Intuition/Planning

 

Tomorrow there is a wedding scheduled at the church where I play organ. We had rehearsal today and hardly anything went the way it was planned. As I watched mini-dramas unfold from my organ bench in the balcony, I was reminded of a recurring conversation my son and I had a few weeks ago. I'm not a big fan of planning; he thinks it's necessary. I'm sure we're both correct, as was shown by the events today. The priest was late because he didn't know there was to be a rehearsal. There was a glitch in the planning and so he had not heard. Many things were set up according to "usual" wedding protocol, but it turned out the priest and/or the wedding party didn't want it that way. So there had been some wasted effort in planning as things were changed at the last minute. The biggest faux pas was that the bride and groom didn't know they needed to get a wedding license! I'm not sure what category that falls into, but it added to the possible stress of the situation. Father Joseph speaks a number of languages in his native Nigerian accent, and he is delightful. When he entered the church 30 minutes late, he immediately began to work the room, putting everyone at ease, joking, and giving orders. Listening to his Spanglish (the wedding party are Hispanic, but most speak at least some English), was a fun and interesting activity. From my viewpoint up above, I hardly ever had any idea of what was going on, but I shall trust my intuition to carry us through the Spanish service tomorrow. It will be a lovely wedding...

“Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 298:13-15