I’ve been reading about 50 pages a day in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in order to catch a better overall vision of Christian Science that Mary Baker Eddy so ably writes about in her book. Every time I do this exercise, I gain a more expansive view of spiritual reality that puts me in a better metaphysical place.
This time, I’ve been struck by a higher order working itself out through my life than any plan I could ever humanly devise.
In Science and Health, Eddy argues that the universe is governed by divine law, or divine Science, as she identifies these laws. These laws have the final say on all matters. Evil submits to them, as Jesus Christ proved, and the final effect of these laws in operation is life in heaven, as she states in many different ways.
As I read, I saw clearly that it’s inevitable that everyone will eventually, through trial or willing acceptance, discover themselves to be made in God’s image, living in heaven. But the trigger thought that got my mental wheels turning was seeing clearly that the human mind can never alter or prevent God’s purpose from being fully realized for each of us. Any human plans we make that deviate from God's plan for our life will be aborted, thwarted, ended or stopped at some point by the higher demand to conform to God's plan.
Whoa…I thought. This means that the human mind has no control over my destiny. God has the control and influence through divine law constantly affecting and influencing my experience to get me to the final realization of spiritual life in heaven.
The little world of “Evan in control,” that I’ve identified with on occasion, suddenly went tipsy-turvy, and landed upside down.
I thought over my human history, and it became increasingly clear that I don’t control my life destiny. A divine purpose has been constantly working itself out through me, and it’s irresistible.
Take my career, for instance. I chose to work in the family business right out of college. It was not meant to be. My human choice was the best I saw at the moment, but it was not where God was taking me. The divine choice was for me to go into the healing practice. At first I resisted, and I suffered. Once I yielded to the divine will, the suffering went away and I thrived in my new profession—my God-appointed profession.
I think about how I found my wonderful wife. I didn’t. God brought her to me and us together through absolutely no human planning on either side.
I think about the individuality expressed through my children. As responsible parents, my wife and I educate, feed, clothe, train, lead and guide them the best we know. But honestly, the individuality they express is vastly greater and grander than anything we could plan out for them. Their unique talents, skills and beautiful qualities of Soul are not the outcome of our own creation. They came from God, the divine Mind that conceived and created them in the first place. We have been bearing witness to what God already put in place.
I thought about success in my practice, and people calling me for help. I can see a power greater than me at work in my professional life, steering me and guiding me. The more I put Evan aside and let God lead the way, the better the results.
The more I looked, the more I saw God’s hand at work in every detail of my life, my family, and my practice. God’s guiding hand was responsible for all the good, not me. It was God working a divine purpose out through me. I certainly participated by yielding. That part is necessary! But God was the source, the cause and the power behind any progressive steps.
The times when I’ve struggled or suffered were times when I resisted the divine purpose or doubted it. But, once again, God always had the final say. Eventually, I would yield to God’s purpose, and the suffering would disappear. I’m still working on this in other ways today! So much more to learn…
God is working the divine purpose out within us all. Christian Science explains what that purpose is and how to live in harmony with it. The quicker we get it and live it the faster our progress. It's inevitable that we all end up where God expects us to be. Many may resist, but the resistance is temporary, and sooner or later, divine law wins.
Jesus yielded to Christ. Jesus totally sacrificed all human ambition, desires and selfish wants for Christ. He said, “I am the way.” In other words, as we give up all human ambition, desires and wants for Christ too, we find the way to Christ, to eternal life.
“Evan needs to fully yield to Christ,” I thought. Wow. This is exciting on one hand, but a bit scary on the other. It requires total yielding of all human planning to the divine Plan--life in Spirit.
As I look back over my human history, I see that all the best stuff has come when I put my plans aside and yielded to God’s plan. And the results have always been good when I did this. So, no need to fear for the future, I can see.
It’s okay to let go of the world and its loves and lusts. There is nothing there to hold on to. All the best life has to offer is in heaven, in Spirit, and God is working within each of us in such a way that we inevitably accept this truth, yield to it, and experience its blessings to the fullest.
There is a higher order at work in the lives of each of us, moving us in a progressive direction and ensuring that we come to a full realization of life in heaven, supreme harmony. Our destiny is in the hands of God. And that is a very good place for it to be!
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Building for others
THE BRIDGE BUILDER
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
~ WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE
Jesus Christ was the ultimate bridge builder...and we've all benefited since.
What bridges are you building today that others can walk over tomorrow?
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
~ WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE
Jesus Christ was the ultimate bridge builder...and we've all benefited since.
What bridges are you building today that others can walk over tomorrow?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Planning ahead...
Someone's sitting in the shade today
because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
~ Warren Buffett
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Quickly adjust
Have you ever had a hard time adjusting to new circumstances?
Perhaps a spouse changes his or her mind about how to manage family affairs, or your boss demands a course of action that you don’t agree with, or your dreams and hopes aren’t being fulfilled?
Do you sit around and moan and complain and grumble? Or do you quickly adjust to the revised plan, keep your cheer intact and happily move forward knowing that all is well under the one Mind’s harmonious control?
I learned a pointed lesson on the benefit of quickly adapting to changing circumstances from my new Garmin GPS locator.
What a fabulous invention the Garmin is! I just discovered them two weeks ago after I almost got lost in the belly of Los Angeles and decided I needed a more full-proof way of navigating unknown city streets.
The Garmin has a 4 by 3 inch screen that shows me exactly where I am on any street and then tells me where to drive next to get to my desired destination.
While in Chicago, I was following my Garmin’s directions but came to an intersection blocked by firetrucks and police cars.
“Uh-oh,” I panicked a bit. Not wanting to get stuck in that auto mess, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction. I worried because I had just totally deviated from the Garmin’s directions, and I didn’t know where to go on my own. But to my surprise, the Garmin instantly adapted.
“Just a moment please. Re-calculating.” The women’s voice in the box said. In a few seconds, the Garmin had a new route for me to travel and arrive safely where I needed to be.
“Fabulous!” I exclaimed. I loved the quick response and revision to changing circumstances.
After a few miles, I encountered severe delays on a highway I was supposed to travel. I skipped the exit Garmin told me to take. “Uh-oh,” I worried. “Now what?”
“Just a moment. Re-calculating,” the women’s voice told me again. Presto, a new plan appeared on my Garmin’s screen.
“Amazing!” I was so thrilled to know that no matter where I turned, wrong or right, a new plan would always appear to get me to where I needed to be.
And the Garmin never complained! It never protested, “You dummy, you just took the wrong turn. You idiot, you didn’t follow my directions. If you would have listened to me, you wouldn’t be lost now!” Nope. No complaints from Garmin. Garmin simply instantly re-calculated a new plan, and off we went without delay.
What a great attitude for life!
I’m striving to be more like Garmin.
When plans don’t work out to my expectation or outline, well, that just means I need to re-calculate and figure out a plan that works. There’s always a way to get to where I need to be. Not a moment should be wasted, grumbling, complaining, fretting or worrying about plans that did not work out. There is always a plan that works, and if we keep our thought open, receptive and eager to follow, we will discern it and continue on our way as if no roadblock was encountered in the first place.
Happy journeys!
Perhaps a spouse changes his or her mind about how to manage family affairs, or your boss demands a course of action that you don’t agree with, or your dreams and hopes aren’t being fulfilled?
Do you sit around and moan and complain and grumble? Or do you quickly adjust to the revised plan, keep your cheer intact and happily move forward knowing that all is well under the one Mind’s harmonious control?
I learned a pointed lesson on the benefit of quickly adapting to changing circumstances from my new Garmin GPS locator.
What a fabulous invention the Garmin is! I just discovered them two weeks ago after I almost got lost in the belly of Los Angeles and decided I needed a more full-proof way of navigating unknown city streets.
The Garmin has a 4 by 3 inch screen that shows me exactly where I am on any street and then tells me where to drive next to get to my desired destination.
While in Chicago, I was following my Garmin’s directions but came to an intersection blocked by firetrucks and police cars.
“Uh-oh,” I panicked a bit. Not wanting to get stuck in that auto mess, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction. I worried because I had just totally deviated from the Garmin’s directions, and I didn’t know where to go on my own. But to my surprise, the Garmin instantly adapted.
“Just a moment please. Re-calculating.” The women’s voice in the box said. In a few seconds, the Garmin had a new route for me to travel and arrive safely where I needed to be.
“Fabulous!” I exclaimed. I loved the quick response and revision to changing circumstances.
After a few miles, I encountered severe delays on a highway I was supposed to travel. I skipped the exit Garmin told me to take. “Uh-oh,” I worried. “Now what?”
“Just a moment. Re-calculating,” the women’s voice told me again. Presto, a new plan appeared on my Garmin’s screen.
“Amazing!” I was so thrilled to know that no matter where I turned, wrong or right, a new plan would always appear to get me to where I needed to be.
And the Garmin never complained! It never protested, “You dummy, you just took the wrong turn. You idiot, you didn’t follow my directions. If you would have listened to me, you wouldn’t be lost now!” Nope. No complaints from Garmin. Garmin simply instantly re-calculated a new plan, and off we went without delay.
What a great attitude for life!
I’m striving to be more like Garmin.
When plans don’t work out to my expectation or outline, well, that just means I need to re-calculate and figure out a plan that works. There’s always a way to get to where I need to be. Not a moment should be wasted, grumbling, complaining, fretting or worrying about plans that did not work out. There is always a plan that works, and if we keep our thought open, receptive and eager to follow, we will discern it and continue on our way as if no roadblock was encountered in the first place.
Happy journeys!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A chuckle for God
I picked this bit of humor up at tonight's testimony meeting at church.
A woman was telling about how her plans often didn't work out, but sometimes a better plan would appear that she hadn't envisoned. In jest, she said...
I can relate. Can you?
A woman was telling about how her plans often didn't work out, but sometimes a better plan would appear that she hadn't envisoned. In jest, she said...
"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."
I can relate. Can you?
Sunday, July 9, 2006
Testing the depth
“Never test the depth of water with both feet.”
The above proverb caught my attention on a reader board I saw in Spokane, Washington, this weekend.
If wondering how deep a pond is, you don’t jump in with both feet first. You keep one foot planted on the ground and test the water depth with the other until you're sure what to expect.
Earthly life is filled with “depth testing” experiences. Perhaps you’re contemplating a job change, starting a new relationship, wanting to move, preparing to make a large investment, or embarking on some other major commitment that requires you to gain more information and knowledge before you dive in without a worry. If you keep one foot firmly planted on what you know is sure and true while you test the new proposition to determine its soundness, you’ll keep yourself from drowning in more than you were prepared to handle.
God’s ever-present love and care is the rock to stay anchored to. Knowing God is giving us everything we need to live happily, healthily and abundantly, and in a timely way, keeps us from making premature and poorly thought out decisions.
Once we’re sure our desire is a God inspired idea and feel confident we can follow through with its requirements, we can jump into the new experience with both feet and rest assured we’ll stay afloat without trouble.
The above proverb caught my attention on a reader board I saw in Spokane, Washington, this weekend.
If wondering how deep a pond is, you don’t jump in with both feet first. You keep one foot planted on the ground and test the water depth with the other until you're sure what to expect.
Earthly life is filled with “depth testing” experiences. Perhaps you’re contemplating a job change, starting a new relationship, wanting to move, preparing to make a large investment, or embarking on some other major commitment that requires you to gain more information and knowledge before you dive in without a worry. If you keep one foot firmly planted on what you know is sure and true while you test the new proposition to determine its soundness, you’ll keep yourself from drowning in more than you were prepared to handle.
God’s ever-present love and care is the rock to stay anchored to. Knowing God is giving us everything we need to live happily, healthily and abundantly, and in a timely way, keeps us from making premature and poorly thought out decisions.
Once we’re sure our desire is a God inspired idea and feel confident we can follow through with its requirements, we can jump into the new experience with both feet and rest assured we’ll stay afloat without trouble.
