I find it easy to accept the unreality of matter. For me, if something is truly real, it lasts forever. If it can be destroyed it can’t be real because there’s a point when it does not exist. It has no reality. So, truly, how could it ever be real? You can’t count on it in the long run. And eternal life is about the “long run.”
I’ve often defined matter—or a material sense of the universe—as a very limited view of the spiritual universe God created. And today, I heard an enlightening example of how to better illuminate this concept.
A friend who was grappling with the unreality of matter explained it this way. He decided that matter, or a material sense of things, was a limited view of Spirit, like looking through a straw allows one only a very limited view of his surroundings.
For instance, if you looked through a straw at a dance troupe performing, you might see only swirling hems and heels kicking, and basically disorder and perhaps chaos. The view would be so small, that you would have no grasp of the larger production being danced out. And you might conclude that what you were looking at was nonsensical and disorganized. But pull the straw away from your eye, and, wallah! the scene is beautiful, sensible and masterfully choreographed.
Likewise, as we look through the lens of Spirit, we see a masterfully crafted spiritual universe where divine Principle is in control. But when we look through the cloudy and narrow lens of material sense, we often see chaos, disorder and disease, adopt it as real, and resign ourselves to it.
I am so grateful that Christian Science prevents the latter from happening.
Christian Science opens our eyes to spiritual reality. It teaches the allness of Mind and the nothingness of matter. It takes the straw of limited mortal reasoning away from our mental eyes, and reveals the infinite scene of Mind where there are no limits or boundaries, or diesease—and the picture is grand.
Spirit is real. Matter is not real. With increased spiritual growth over time, more and more people will understand this to be true. Physics is already drawing nearer to the conclusion that there is no matter.
The visible universe and material man are the poor counterfeits of the invisible universe and spiritual man. Eternal things (verities) are God’s thoughts as they exist in the spiritual realm of the real. Temporal things are the thoughts of mortals and are the unreal, being the opposite of the real or the spiritual and eternal. Mary Baker Eddy
5 comments:
What a great explanation. I actually got a straw and looked through it. It really does limit your view. You realize that what you are seeing is not what is really there. It makes you understand that perhaps what you "SEE" is not the reality of life.
Great Blog. I recently read a cool article how a fish doesn't know it is in water and compared it to us in that we don't know we are "in God". We look through a big straw all the time and see nothing but chaos. As we think about God, The straw gets bigger. I think of it as looking at something or someone and "sensing" the error (or good) from the situation. I am doing this right now as the focal point for a family in crisis with alcohol (nonscientists). It is very apparent that a mortal view is like looking through a straw (alcoholism-look through that straw and you will see alot of chaos!). As I thought more about what you said, the apparent view is much different when CS is applied (at my end) and has been a tremendous help as I literally can "see, sense" the error as it is coming to the surface and is destroyed. Destroyed as seen for what it is-nothing but a false belief. Thanks for the insight and help.
Thanks Evan, what a fun way to share the idea of God's infinite goodness. Can't wait to bring a box of straws to Sunday School. Love the comment about the fish not know it is in water too. Your blog blesses me and makes me smile and I appreciate your sharing!
Hey, I love these comments!
I can see the Sunday school teacher handing out straws to all the youngsters in Sunday school...boy, won't that be a fun scene!
And I appreciate the fish doesn't know it's in water, or really think about it...Thanks for that one! Very useful.
Love it... love it...
Heard a similar example recently with looking through the wrong end of binoculars compared to looking through the correct end of the binoculars. One is far away and limited and the other is close up, enlarged and lots of detail.
Post a Comment