Assault of the mosquitoes

Christian Science is about discovering spiritual reality in the here and now of everyday experience. As Jesus Christ taught, heaven is not a far off place attained after death. It is an ever-present consciousness of divine Mind that we reflect as spiritually minded children of God. And humans attain this consciousness by putting on the mind of Christ and putting off sin.

The actual demonstration of spiritual mindedness is not always easy. The world assaults human consciousness with arguments that build up evil, fear of disease, and submission to sin. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, became keenly aware of the need to daily defend one’s mental home from aggressive suggestions at large that take away peace of mind and health if not destroyed first. Jesus taught the same when he preached, “Watch!” meaning, be so keenly aware of the omnipresence of good, that no evil suggestion can sneak into your mental home undetected and cause physical or mental havoc.

Last week, I had what at the time, seemed the weirdest thing happen to me. Let me start by saying I rarely get mosquito bites where we live, if ever, and we’ve lived here several years now.

One evening, after reading a bit on the outside patio, I noticed some mosquito bites on my legs. Oh, that’s odd, I thought, and I didn’t think much of it. Then I went for a walk with my wife, which we commonly do, and got bit several times while strolling around the neighborhood. Now, I was really getting puzzled. I had shorts on, and my legs were covered in mosquito bites, so many I didn’t even try to count them. This is so weird! I protested. It was completely out of the ordinary.

I prayed the obvious prayer, knowing that I was in harmony with all of God’s creatures, and God didn’t create a bug that could harm me or would want to harm me. That I was in no danger in my own neighborhood and that the bites should rapidly disappear because there was no reason for them, nor any reason for them to stay on my body. I was innocent. I was spiritual, and in spiritual fact, could not get bitten in the first place. Christ was there to confirm this truth on my behalf, and thus the wounds would heal up quickly.

I found peace with this prayer, and was able to go through the night without touching the red spots begging for attention. But they did not go away quickly like they always had in the past. They hung around, and later the next day, became very noisy, if you know what I mean. The urge to itch intensified, and the picture was uglier than ever. By now, I knew the issue was much larger than dealing with mosquito bites.

As I’ve learned in the past, if a physical problem doesn’t go away quickly with the first one or two Christian Science treatments, then the issue is much deeper than just a physical claim. There are other mental things going on that need to be dealt with to clear the way for the physical healing. And my suspicion was some form of malpractice targeted against me that I was not getting a handle on.

No sooner did I get going down this line of reasoning, but an emotional flare-up on a particular issue erupted in our home. It was not a super big deal, but it was discord, which is out of the norm for our home, generally, a very peaceful place. And when I saw it, I exclaimed, “Aha! That’s it! It’s an assault on the harmony and peace of our home. It didn’t get to me, so it’s trying another way, through other family members.“ I impersonalized the conflict and treated it as malpractice against the health and harmony of my family, my home, and me too.

I prayed to know that we lived in a home of divine Love. That divine Love kept us all safe from any malpractice at large or specifically focused. That we all could feel only the influence of divine Love in our thinking, in our relations with each other, and in the body. That we were safe, protected, immune, out of the reach of any enemy and in no danger, ever. God is all. God is Love, and we lived in the omnipresence of that Love.

No sooner did I specifically treat the suggestion of malpractice, as just described, but a profound peace flowed over my thinking and my body. All the itchiness, burning sensation and angst over my legs vanished in a few minutes. It was an incredibly tangible experience of Love taking over my thought and the evil being shoved out rapidly. I knew I had finally put my mental finger on the error that needed to be eradicated. The peace remained, and the physical evidence of damage to my legs rapidly disappeared. The discord in our home was peacefully and quickly resolved, and heavenly order took over once again.

Oh, I am so grateful for Christian Science. It gives us the metaphysical tools we need to effectively and appropriately deal with evil. If I had viewed the mosquito bites strictly as a physical condition, and treated them with lotions and medicines, I would have totally missed out on the greater benefit of increasing the safety and peace of our home and protection of family members from outside mental influence. And the lesson would have to be learned later another way, and perhaps a harder way.

Now, to get back to enjoying our patio in the evening and neighborhood walks…

When people do mean things

How do you respond to other people who do things that are purposely mean?

That can be a tough question to answer sometimes…

This weekend, our daughter, Jenna, had a major swim meet in Wenatchee, which is about a 2 hour drive from where we live. The whole family decided to go and support her. Saturday afternoon Jenna was finished early, so we skipped up to Leavenworth, about 20 miles away, to spend the rest of the day and taking in the lighting ceremony at 5 p.m.

If you’re not aware, the little town of Leavenworth is a spectacular commercial and tourism success story. Decades ago, threatened with extinction when the major employer of the town shut down, the area leaders settled on a Bavarian theme and worked hard to turn the village into a tourist destination. It’s a fun place to visit now, with dozens of shops, restaurants, hotels, cafes, and more that can easily fill up a day or more of strolling, looking and eating.

The day we went, everyone else in the State of Washington decided to go too! The mob was unbelievable. Parking was impossible. We ended up parking out in the residential area and walking in, which was fine. The weather was beautiful.

Here’s a picture of the crowd we found. If you’ve ever been there, at least 100 people were standing in line waiting to get into the hat shop.

The atmosphere was loaded with fun. Music was playing, children laughing, singers singing, and bands playing, as thousands patiently waited for the lighting ceremony to begin.

By the size of the crowd and enthusiasm all around, you would have thought President-elect Obama was about to show. But I think people were simply looking for something to do other than sit at home in front of the TV.

The lighting happened quickly, and soon the crowds dispersed.



As we walked back to our car, we looked down the street and said, “Man somebody parked really close to our rear bumper.” As we got closer, there was no question. Someone did not like us. They parked their car within a half-inch of our rear bumper making it impossible to back up and exit our parking spot which was parallel to the curb. A big pickup truck was parked in front of us. And it appeared malicious because this car had several feet behind him that he could have occupied with a driveway entrance beyond that. And there were plenty of open parking spaces all around everywhere.

There was 2-3 feet in front of us, so we were able to exit with a little maneuvering, but I was not able to instantly let go of the apparent evil intent of this driver.

I could have been wrong, of course. The nudge up to our bumper could have been innocent, but honestly, he had to work really hard to get that close to our car without touching! And there was no reason to do so. A car could not have parked behind him.

After wrestling for several minutes on how to think about it, I decided that I didn’t have to judge this man one way or the other. God always provides us a way out!

I was bothered at first because if this driver had gotten his way, we would have been locked into position with no way out.

But the fact was that we weren’t locked in. There was a way out. So, I had nothing to complain about.

And this was my answer.

It didn’t matter what ill-will this driver may have had toward us, whether we took his favorite parking spot, or he didn’t like us parking in front of his home, or whatever, any malicious intent was not going to succeed. Divine Love was going to provide a way out for us no matter what and that was a truth I could always trust. I didn't have to harbor resentment. It was unnecessary because we could never be hurt.

The lesson I picked up was, I didn’t have to worry about what other people may or may not do. God is way ahead of them, and if there is malicious intent, if I keep my thinking right with God, I’ll know what to do when the occasion arises. And there will always be a way out.

Like Jesus walking through the mob that wanted to kill him. Jesus kept his thought right with God, and God provided a way out. Jesus walked through the crowd unharmed, and out and away without them even realizing it.

So, what to do when someone acts intentionally mean and you feel stuck? I decided to not get wrapped up into anger myself. Thinking evilly in kind is not a progressive path to walk down. The need is to stay in a consciousness of Love. Know that the intent of the evil-doer is destined to fail and fall, and look for the path out, for there is one.

We had a very happy drive home.

Treat people nicely to avoid lawsuits

Have you ever noticed that some people get sued a whole lot more than others? Ever wondered why?

In the popular book, “Blink,” the author, Malcolm Gladwell, explains why some doctors get sued and others don’t even though both make mistakes. He argues that the difference comes down to how the doctors treat their patients. Doctors that take time to converse with their clients, show care, concern and lend a listening ear, win over the patient’s affections, and if they make a mistake, the patients typically forgive them because they like them. Doctors who don’t take time to listen, care and address client fears become “the enemy” if a mistake is made, and they get sued.

Gladwell wrote:

What comes up again and again in malpractice cases is that patients say they were rushed or ignored or treated poorly. “People just don’t sue doctors they like,” is how Alice Burkin, a leading medical malpractice lawyer, puts it. “In all the years I’ve been in this business, I’ve never had a potential client walk in and say, ‘I really like this doctor, and I feel terrible about doing it, but I want to sue him.’

…“When a patient has a bad medical result, the doctor has to take the time to explain what happened, and to answer the patient’s questions—to treat him like a human being. The doctors who don’t are the ones who get sued,” Burkin continued. (pages 40-43)

Isn’t the above observation a moral lesson for life?

Jesus taught, “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” It’s true. When we are genuinely merciful to others as a rule, people are typically merciful back, even when we make a big mistake.

Mercy begets mercy.

God is the big Mercy of all, loving us no matter what we do--good or bad--without condition, without qualification, and without exception.

The more we love others unselfishly as God loves us unconditionally, the more love we see expressed in relationships we have with others. Forgiveness flows easier, understanding is built quicker and grudges have no chance to form.

No grudges equals no lawsuits. We can spend more time enjoying life that way, and a lot less time in court.

Protect yourself from malpractice

Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake. Mary Baker Eddy

I awoke early yesterday to read my Bible Lesson and metaphysically prepare for an active day. Part way through my study I suddenly started to feel very ill. My stomach began churning, my head ached and within two minutes a wave of sickness swept over me and tried to lock on. Mentally working to prevent further suffering, I turned to God in prayer and acknowledged one Mind governing my health and well being. In the one Mind, there is no sickness, no potential for sickness and no feeling of sickness, I affirmed.

While listening for further spiritual insight, I glanced at the clock and noticed it was 5 a.m. With no investigative effort of my own, I recognized that it was opening time for a business on the East coast that I had sent a letter to three days ago with a message that was written in a generous and supportive spirit, but could have been received in a negative light by the recipient. I wasn’t sure whether they were sympathetic to my message or not.

On the heels of this awareness, an angel thought told me to protect myself from mental malpractice. I remembered the quote printed above by Mary Baker Eddy, “…be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you….”

Whether the recepient of my letter was malpracticing me or not, I could not say. But I knew my health was going downhill fast, the momentum needed to be halted, and this divine admonition to protect myself vigorously was clamoring for attention. I've learned not to ignore such warnings.

Not knowing what harmful thought I may be protecting myself from, I prayed to know that no evil thought could penetrate my consciousness. There is only one Mind, I affirmed again, and the one Mind was my Mind. Malice has no power and no influence over the activity of the one Mind, and therefore had no power or influence over my thinking. I was safe in the omnipresence of divine Love.

As long as it took to pray the above truth, the sickness lifted and vanished like it never existed.

I’ve had these types of experiences before, and each time I learn again the value and importance of defending myself from mental malpractice from abroad. I often do not know what the source of the evil intent is, but it doesn't matter. Evil has no power whatever form it pretends to take, and the need of prayer is to know this spiritual truth clearly. God is the only power.

Jesus told us to “Watch!” He meant watch for good, for spiritual mindedness lest evil overwhelm our sense of things.

Mary Baker Eddy was adamant in her teachings that her students should actively and daily defend themselves from mental malpractice. She was so convinced of this necessity she included a by-law titled “Alertness to Duty” in the governing document of her Church that states

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind.

Our duty to God is to remain spiritually minded, bearing witness to the omnipresence of divine Love and the omnipotence of the one Mind wherever we go and in whatever we do.

When we faithfully know one God, one power of good, we become a law unto ourselves that protects our mental sanctuary from outside malicious influence.

Stay alert! Be on guard—for the Truth! And you will be protected too.