"Time, The World’s Greatest Illusion" presented in Phoenix on November 5, 2010 for the Emergence Conference has been requested by, and will be presented at the Humanities Education and Research Association (HERA) Conference, March 3-5, 2011, in San Francisco.

Synopsis:

This analysis and synthesis of time is based on quantum physics and Christian Science and shows time to be the world’s greatest illusion. The dimension of time seems to affect the internal and external aspects of our lives but needn’t be a controlling, restricting factor when seen as a law of matter, not a higher, spiritual law that governs and controls.  Time is not a commodity to be spent ‘becoming’ rather than ‘being’ – ‘wanting’ rather than ‘having.’  This trans-formative approach to the age-old problem of time will resolve and elevate your moments into turning points…into a moving power, a force for good.  

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"Time, The World’s Greatest Illusion" by Tom Taffel

Does anyone have the time?  <> <<>> <>  Thank you for giving me the time.

Do you all remember the song…?

What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
or are we meant to be kind?

When I asked if anyone had the time…you didn’t ask me: “the time for what?”  You gave me a number, but that wasn’t what I was looking for.   I was about to finish my question, “Does anyone have the time — to become more patient, loving and kind?”   You had the time — and you gave it to me — a number — but that wasn’t what I was hoping you would give me.  
So what’s it all about?  For right now, it’s about TIME…………and, it’s ABOUT time!  

The very first sentence in “Science and Health” reads: “The time for thinkers has come.” So let’s take the time to think about the word “moment.”

A moment in sports can go by in an instant; but when someone asks you to wait in the car for a just a moment while they run an errand, a moment can feel like an eternity.   They say the length of a moment is determined by which side of the bathroom door you happen to be standing?
The word “moment” comes from Latin “momentum” meaning motion and movement.  Originally, the word “moment” had nothing to do with time.   A moment is a weight… “a particle sufficient to turn the scales.”  A moment is a turning point, a moving power.
  
Moments in nature can be negative, destructive and disastrous.   Earthshaking events, such as earthquakes, lightening and tsunamis take but a moment.  But it only takes a moment to change your thought from bad to good and from fearful to peaceful. To be “in the moment” is to be at peace. To be present in the moment, is to be present with the Lord.

An “INSTANT”   
An instant, according to Webster, is an infinitesimal or very short space of time.  Through chemistry and technology, we have instant coffee, instant cameras and instant replays.   My answer to the theoretical question,  “How long is an instant” would be:  an instant is as long as it takes to re-affirm our connection with God. 

THE  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  BEING  AND  BECOMING
We use time to become something …rather than to be something.  For example: it takes time to become an expert, knowledgeable, skilled or even a “seasoned” Christian Scientist.   But it does not take time to be loving, caring, kind, and to be a healer.   

“TIME IS MONEY”
How do you spend your time and do you spend your time wisely?  Well, you can always start spending your time on forgiveness, our most time-consuming task while on this earth…and there’s no time like the present to get started.  Teaching and living, true forgiveness, is our chief function here on earth.  Forgiveness is the very key to our happiness.  When you hear the argument: “I don’t have enough time,” remember, not having enough time is like not having enough love, because we always have time for the things we love.

THERE IS NO TIME 
There is no time in Spirit.  There is no time in Love.  There is no time in Truth.  I’d like to suggest that time is a meaningless concept when contemplating the infinitude of Love, Spirit, Soul, Mind, Life, Truth and Principle.  In “Science and Helath,” 468:28-29 – Mrs. Eddy states: "Eternity, not time, expresses the thought of Life, and time is no part of eternity."   So, are you in time or are you in eternity?  You decide…every day, every moment … where you want to be.   You could say:  “Time is eternity misunderstood, whereas eternity is time understood correctly.”    Our holiness does not exist in time…it exists in Eternity.   The birth of Christ wasn’t in the past, two thousand years ago, nor will it be two thousand years from now…it’s going on right now in consciousness…right now…the only time there is.  The birth of Christ is timeless;  it’s a present blessing and extends forever.
   
One of the many functions of time is to limit and to separate — separate the past from the present from the future.  (The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.)   But as Albert Einstein pointed out, “….the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”   Granted…time is a helpful tool in establishing a human sense of order.  Timing prevents everything from happening all at once — causing chaos.  Without time and timing, several aircraft might occupy the same airspace at the same time. So we need time and timing to establish a human sense of order here on earth.

Why does time seem to go hand-in-hand with anxiety, fear and change?    Because time promotes the very anxiety and fear which wants…rather than has … that fears loss, rather than celebrates everlasting good.  Fear, anxiety, disquiet, worry and change are all rooted in time.  If someone is expected at a certain time, and they are late, we begin to worry.  It’s as if God’s loving care might expire at a certain time.  Have you ever noticed how people who are late — are usually much happier than the people who have to wait for them?    Time is the grandest of all illusions and for me to try and define time would be like … asking a fish to define the water in which it lives.  It’s something we just have to learn to live with until we can outgrow the concept.

IN GOD’S OWN TIME
My Sunday School teacher was new to Christian Science when she and her husband retired and bought a small dairy farm with a small herd of cows, in upstate New York.  Her husband fell one night and broke his wrist.  They called a C.S. practitioner, who, sensing his fear and anxiety, reassured him with comforting, yet specific truths, and ended the call by saying: “It’s not yet milking time.”  One hour later, he called the practitioner to tell her that he still was not healed and that the cows had to be milked at 5AM.  Again she allayed his fear and reassured him: “It’s not yet milking time.”  Another hour passed and again he called.  The practitioner held to the absolute healing certainty of the truths she had given to him earlier,  and – (treating the treatment) –  ended the call with: “It’s not yet milking time.”  Well, at 4:30AM, he awoke, dressed and milked his cows.  I’ve never forgotten: “It’s not yet milking
time” –
and I try to remember that it’s always time to re-affirm that God’s plan is orderly, ordered and in perfect order.  

Mrs. Eddy tells us in “Science and Health,” that “There is a divine influence, ever present in human consciousness.”  Time and space are not a divine influence, but order is ever-present in human consciousness.   We just need to listen and act upon it.  It’s always present…and what a present it is…what a gift!

There is no time element in Truth…but there is a time element in every false belief, because every false belief involves time, space matter and fear.  Take this false belief as an example: “For how long a period of time did people believe the earth was flat?”  For this false belief, time is relevant and has meaning.  On the contrary, time has no meaning or relevance to truth.  The same question posed in terms of the truth:  “How long has the earth been round?” is meaningless because time holds no sway over truth, because there is no time in Truth or Truth in time — because Truth is timeless.   Since the earth has always been round, the truth is unaffected by the mistaken belief that it was flat.  The rules of mathematics are un-affected by our mistakes.

“MINUTES vs. MOMENTS”  
A minute is an objective, measurable fixed amount of time.  A moment is nebulous and subjective.  “Just a moment” is indefinite … “Just a minute” is definite.  Minutes are simply moments we can get a handle on.

Time and Sports:
Sports are usually based on some time parameters.  Consider for a moment…
Time out … Out of time …Taking up time / Taking time off … Plenty of time … In time … Beating your time … Marking time … Time’s Up … Running out the clock.

…And here are some….TIMELY EXPRESSIONS:
All in good time … Take your time … Waste of time … In the nick of time … Time frame … Time warp … Test of time …  Doing time … Your time has come … On time … Lifetime … For the time being … I’m having the time of my life … Are we having a good time yet? — Is this a bad time for you? … There’s no time like the present … Go with the times … All in due time … Time flys … Time waits for no man … (But what about a woman).  And what about this gem: “Time heals all wounds.”  Now I ask you how can time heal anything?   Time has nothing to do with healing and everything to do with forgetting, but forgetting is not the same as healing.  Forgetting is like sweeping the error under the rug. And for you New Yorkers, exactly how long is a “A New York Minute?” 
  

So consider, if you will, these thoughts about a time long past:
Once upon a time … A long time ago … Before my time … Behind the times … For old time’s sake … Now, if you were to ask me to give you the time – I could give it to you – because I have time on my hands!   My watch keeps pretty good time….Is there “pretty bad” time?   I have all the time in the world.  Let’s see, there’s geological time, and there’s real time…(as opposed to artificial time?)

The Bible tells us that “The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.”  The operative word is “quick” not gradual or in due time.  God’s power is not gradual, time-based or dependent on history.  Just as light replaces darkness instantaneously…regardless of how long or how dark it has been — darkness does not influence the light…but light extinguishes darkness.  

TIME AND SPACE vs. HERE AND NOW
Albert Einstein, one of the most influential men the world has ever known and also a student of Christian Science indicated as part of his “Theory of Relativity” that time and space are relative to the observer and not a fact of being.  For me, time is a learning experience …Someday, it will no longer be useful, but for now, let me share an experience Bill and I had in 1994 while sailing aboard the “Crystal Harmony” from San Francisco to Alaska – where we had to resolve the human conflict of time and space with the divine facts about being in our right place, at the right time.  
Two ships were scheduled to anchor in Sitka, Alaska at the same time; our ship, the “Crystal Harmony” and Regent’s new ship the “Mariner.”  Bill and I were granted special visitation privileges to visit, inspect and have lunch aboard the “Mariner” while anchored in Sitka Harbor.   Because both ships were at anchor in the middle of the bay, we had to take a tender from ship to shore – change tenders and then tender back out to the other ship.  So we checked each ship’s tender schedules carefully — coordinating schedules with precision timing.

We finished lunch aboard the “Mariner” just in time to catch the tender back to the dock so we could board the last tender back to our ship, the “Crystal Harmony,” when all was not harmonious and discord became very real.   One of the two tenders had to be taken out of service, resulting in a 40 minute delay … forcing us to “miss the boat.”

Our precision timing had failed us, and now we were going to miss our ship’s sail away from Sitka Harbor.  We hadn’t brought a credit card for an overnight hotel or for air transportation to our next port of call.  We were up the proverbial creek without a paddle.  

Each passing moment brought increased anxiety, fear, doubt and anger as precious minutes slipped away.  How could this happen — and what were our alternatives?  Adam H. Dickey tells us in “God’s Law of Adjustment” that there is a law of God which can adjust any material circumstance, but, what was that law?  In Christian Science we know that it’s not as important to uncover the error – as the Truth — which the error is trying to hide.  After quieting my fearful, agitated thought, I affirmed with conviction that we were in our right place and that we couldn’t be outside of God’s control because He is the master of details.  He knew exactly where we were and where He wanted us to be.   Mortal limitations involving time and space do not exist in the Divine Mind, so we could never be outside of His care and loving control.  

But the situation was growing darker by the minute.  There didn’t seem to be any human solution at hand.  Time was running out.

When the tender finally arrived — we could see the “Crystal Harmony” preparing to set sail.  I humbly asked God for guidance: “Dear God, what would You have me do…What would You have me say….and to whom?”   I listened and completely shut my mental chatter and pre-conceived plans.   Listening to the still small voice is joyous – it’s a taste of eternity.   So, I spoke with our  pilot, explaining the predicament in which we found ourselves and how we needed to be dropped off at the other ship rather than be taken all the way back to the dock as we were about to miss our sail-away.  He was most sympathetic, but explained he was bound by maritime laws, company rules and regulations which prohibited him from calling on another company’s vessel.  There was no insurance for such an operation, and even if there were, he was running 40 minutes behind schedule.  I had to trust that God was in charge and His law was supreme,
present, active and
available.

So…….I took a deep breath and calmly asked the pilot if he could just come alongside the “Crystal Harmony” and let us step off the tender — without — tying up – an extremely dangerous, risky and highly illegal operation.  He recognized our sincere need for help and radioed both ships’ operational officers for special permission to perform this dangerous procedure in very choppy water.   Well, it seemed like an eternity, but just in the nick of time, permission from both ships was granted and we were able to make the “flying” switch between vessels.  God never takes us halfway, He takes us all the way.   As Violet Hay concludes her poem, (affectionately known as “The Airman’s Hymn”)  – “I love thy way of freedom Lord”  
             
                  Till time and space and fear are naught
                       My quest shall never cease,
                  Thy presence ever goes with me
                       And Thou dost give me peace.

TIME, SPACE, MATTER and FEAR:
Time, space, matter and fear are indivisible, an integral part of the mortal dream of human existence – each designed to limit, constrict and kill because time is the stopwatch of mortality.  Time sets and re-sets limits and limitation.  Eliminate them from your thought, and healing is instantaneous; in fact, there is no need for healing because without time, space, matter and fear, there is nothing to heal.

Every mortal concept has a time, space, matter, fear component.  Medicine cannot work without time, space, matter and fear, but if you try to mix them with Christian Science treatment, you have an oil and water combination. They are incompatible. You cannot homogenize them and get a whole and lasting result.

Here’s my favorite Albert Einstein quote:  “To those of us who believe in physics, this separation between past, present, and future, is only an illusion, if a stubborn one.”  (Jim Holt, “Time Bandits,” The New Yorker, Feb. 28, 2005, p.85.)      There is no time in reality — – — whether we’re talking about the present, the past or the future.  The present isn’t any more spiritual than the past or the future.  When, (exactly), did the present begin?   When will the present end and become the future? Let’s not turn reality into metaphysical goulash by sandwiching the eternal present between the past and the future because inherent in that thought-process you have a natural beginning and end to the present — because we are viewing a spiritual concept, (“the eternal present”), through a material lens.

Just as the human concept of the present isn’t any more spiritual than the human concept of the past or the future, the eternal present is timeless and it’s the foundation upon which reality rests.

Here are the four progressive phases of time and space as I see them:   1) Time and space are real.   2) Time and space are relative–in the mind of the beholder.  3) Time and space are false beliefs.  4) Time and space are unreal, a hoax, a grand illusion.

I would like to suggest that without the time and space paradigm, we open up a universe without limits, full of unlimited potential, possibilities and intentionality.

SLEEPING THROUGH TIME
Is time more real in our internal world or in our external world?    What happens to our concept of time when we’re asleep?  When asleep, time becomes malleable and distorted, without limitations or constrictions, because thought is unencumbered by the laws of matter.  When asleep, the laws of time, space and gravity are suspended because they have no power over our thinking.  Have you ever considered time to be the interval between two events … such as life and death?  We mark that time interval in birth-years, which equates to how many revolutions around the sun we have made…and based on how many revolutions around the sun we’ve made….that number determines our prospects for so many human conditions.  Look what time does to our appearance, our health, our long-term financial security.   Not a pretty picture when you think of structures which crumble with time, that oxidize in time, that disintegrate with the passing of time.   

Now, I’m not suggesting you throw away your watches and possibly miss your flights back home.  You don’t want to “over-steer your spiritual headlights,” nor be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.  But don’t let yourself become a slave to the limitations of time or make a god out of it.   If it’s true that,  “I am the world through which I walk,”  than I take with me my concept of time through my world — and it becomes my servant, not my master.

All the dimensions of “now” are supported by God’s law of order, control and perfection.  “Now” are endless possibilities, possible…not yesterday, not tomorrow, but right now.  Remember, the nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow!

Now is the time between your thoughts and you can change your mind….[your choices], anytime….because you are responsible for what you see…and you choose the feeling you experience, and you decide upon the goal you wish to achieve….and everything that happens to you is the result of what you have asked.  God knows the desires of your heart.  So be careful for what you ask!

To paraphrase Mrs. Eddy’s poem: “Satisfied” — “Love looseth thee, and lifteth me, Ayont  [time’s] thrall: There Life is light, and wisdom might, And God is All.”

I would like to leave you with this thought from Misc. Writings 230:6 – "If one would be successful in the future, let him make the most of the present." So remember: There’s no time like the present.

Amy Richmond

Managing Editor of tmcyouth.com. - The First Church of Christ Scientist

November 12, 2010

Dear Amy,

I am writing to you in response to your email dated  10/25/2010.

I appreciate and respect your concern for how we address youth regarding spiritual matters.  My commitment to Christian Science is life-long and I have been through class instruction.   Further, I also have a great respect for the role and responsibility of a practitioner.  My grandmother, whom I loved dearly, was a Christian Science Practitioner, and I have the greatest respect and love for the writings and teachings of Mrs. Eddy.  

My motive in leaving comments on the blog has been three-fold:

1.  To raise awareness of a serious problem: gay youth and suicide;

2.  To question the impact Lois Carlson’s article has had on  LGBTQ Christian Scientists: Does this article assault the spirit, however good its intentions might be, and contribute to antigay stigma; and

3.  To offer resources that are service-oriented, nothing outside of the Church’s mission.

We are both agreed on the question of spirituality and its relevance to gay youth.  However, by posting Lois Carlson’s article, “Considering Same Sex Lifestyles,” there is a (questionable) presumption of authority.   Beginning with the very first paragraph,  Carlson sets the tone by addressing conversion therapy in a way that demeans the LGBTQ community and happens to be contrary to established clinical fact.  Carlson’s point about self-control is valid.  However, as she also says, heterosexuals can be as promiscuous as homosexuals.  Yet the article is titled “Considering Same Sex Lifestyles”. 

The “perception” of this article is as one blogger put “this is the Christian Science Stand Point.” However, Christ Jesus and Mrs. Eddy never spoke out against homosexuality and The Ten Commandments are silent on this issue.  Not once, but twice Mrs. Eddy quoted the eminent homosexual, William Shakespeare’s universal truth: “To thine own self be true.”  This was so important to Mrs. Eddy that she repeated this monumental quote twice.  I would like to suggest that this quote should have been the starting point of Carlson’s article.  

 

Further, Virginia Harris stated when she was chair of  The Christian Science Board of Directors that there is no official policy on homosexuality as they are individual decisions and not for the Church to decide (CNN Larry King Live 5/4/2001).    The Christian Science Monitor even wrote a commentary titled “Homophobia hurts straight men, too – The suicide of college freshman Tyler Clementi painfully spotlights the dire consequences of homophobic bullying on gay men. But a homophobic culture that condemns male affection and emotion as “gay” hurts all men – and our culture at large” (October 6, 2010). 

The Christian Science Monitor also prints these words from Mrs. Eddy on its masthead: “To injure no man, but to bless all mankind.”  Gay teens are four times as likely to commit suicide 

as their straight peers (Massachusetts Risk Study, 2006). Another study says that family rejection makes them 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide (“Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes,” Dr. Caitlin Ryan, 2009).  I wonder what the percentage is for  religious rejection?  These studies take us back to Mrs. Eddy’s words: “To injure no man, but to bless all mankind.”   As seen in some of the blogs -  the article resulted  in people leaving Christian Science which was their hope.  Hope is the major weapon against suicide.  

Words can kill the spirit.  Christian Science needs to grow instead of retrench.  As a church, we need to “feed the hungary, heal the heart.”   The church should be a safe haven or sanctuary for gay youth and adults.  What, Amy can I, you, we as a church do to help reduce the narrowness, coldness, detached and judgemental, (and at times, ignorant) approach of the past?  This is a great opportunity for healing not only for the church  but also for those yearning brothers and sisters who love (or feel drawn to love) that Science that is so healing to every heart.  There are souls in distress throughout this country, especially young people, some of whom have committed suicide.  Carlson’s article does not address their spiritual pain or the physical consequences that come from it.  The comments and resources I have left in the blog have been an attempt to address these shortcomings.  I have cited church leaders and sources from mainstream media that would be accessible to any adult or youth.   As a church, we need to consider how our commitment to spirituality can be relevant in the world in which young people live.  What would Mrs. Eddy say?   She addressed this topic in her rebuke of Mrs. Woodbury.  “When Mrs. Woodbury offered advice to her students in regard to the sex relationship in marriage, Mrs. Eddy wrote that it is not for either of them to advise others on the most intimate of personal matters” (Robert Peel, Mary Baker Eddy – The Years of Trial, page 262).

I am also listing below a portion of number six of the 500 Watching Points for Advancing Students of Christian Science by Gilbert Congden Carpenter, C.S.B. written in Providence, R.I. during the period, 1929-1942.  Following the example and teaching of Mrs. Eddy, Carpenter questions if real goodness can come out of self-righteousness.  He understands that true goodness is divine.  Mrs. Eddy was our greatest teacher in this lesson, and I hope these words move your spirit as they have moved mine.

What the world calls sin does not shut man off from God as effectually as what the world calls goodness, which is largely self-righteousness. When a mortal finds that his actions are sinful, he is apt to become dissatisfied with himself and with  material existence, so that he yearns for God; whereas the self-satisfied follower of creeds and doctrines feels very little spiritual hunger, or dissatisfaction with matter. We conclude, therefore, that self-righteousness is the more dangerous state of thought as far as spiritual growth is concerned …  Self-righteousness may be called the sin against the Holy Ghost, since it is a sin against man’s spiritual nature, and is far more serious than those sins against society, for which mortal mind has decreed punishment …  It is reported that Mrs. Eddy once declared that she would rather have a church member to work with who was forty per cent good, than one ninety-five per cent good. Such a statement would be anomalous unless we interpret it to mean humangood ….  The prodigal son was perhaps forty percent good, in contrast to the ninety-five percent good of his elder brother. Yet behold the latter’s attitude when the prodigal returned! He malpracticed on him, was jealous of the way he was received, and acted as if he wished that his brother had never been redeemed; when as a matter of  fact, the Egypt experience was the necessary process through which the prodigal son learned the worthlessness and nothingness of all materiality. Since nothing concerning the claim of evil could be learned in the Father’s house, and this knowledge was necessary in order to help poor humanity, it had to be learned in Egypt" Then when the prodigal returned, he was ready to be united to his Father’s purpose and work with Him in redeeming mankind …  Mrs. Eddy had many experiences with the elder brothers in her church work. She knew that they make most of the trouble. Many times she saw them attempt to throw back into the stream of mortal mind those valiant swimmers struggling to reach the shore,—perhaps the very ones she was striving to save. Who can blame her for crying out against this most heinous of all sins, namely, the belief in human good—when the only true goodness is divine? 

Finally, the African American writer Octavia Butler captures the power of religion: “Religion kept some of my relatives alive, because it was all they had.  If they hadn’t had some hope of heaven, some companionship in Jesus, they probably would have committed suicide, their lives were so hellish.”   LGBTQ people, especially the youth who are being bullied, are now in the same position.  If we demean them and make them think they are sinners, we are pushing them out of the church, taking away their hope, and pushing them toward shame and suicide.   Thus, our church becomes just like so many others (condemning, frightening, and ultimately unnecessary to growth in grace).  This should not be the mission of our church.  I offered my views about antigay stigma and suicide from my personal experience back in my July blog.  Do you see what is now happening?  How many more are suffering in silence?  Religion used against LGBTQ youth and adults “causes colossal damage to the soul.”  These words were spoken by a young girl who committed  suicide after being rejected by her mother and her religion.  When someone commits suicide from bullying of any kind the entire world loses.

 

What would Mrs. Eddy do and say?  Wouldn’t she take them in her arms and love them?  Can’t we do at least that much?  Can’t we offer a cup of cold water — a small request from a church which professes to inculcate all of Christ Jesus’ teachings?  I think we could advance the cause of Christian Science by being less judgmental and more loving.  If Mrs. Eddy expected us to solemnly promise to do unto to others as we would have them do unto us, shouldn’t that “golden rule” apply to Boston’s approach to gay youth as well?

I am reaching out to you as an ambassador not as an activist.  I am also writing to you in a spirit of humility and love and as someone who has been touched by suicide.  I share your commitment to presenting spiritual ideas to young people.  However, Carlson’s article falls short in this regard.  It does nothing to address or heal real problems affecting youth and may be harmful to those struggling with their sexuality.  I’d be happy to offer additional insights to you and  Lois Carlson on this important issue.  

Respectfully submitted with Truth, Wisdom, Love, and Sincerity,

Rob Scott 

Vice President, Emergence International 

Chicago, IL

cc Emergence International Board of Directors

     The Christian Science Board of Directors – Boston

     The Christian Science Monitor

     Dr. Palmer – President & CEO Principia College

     Lois Carlson, C.S.B.

---

From: tfccs tfccs <richmondaj@csps.com>
To: greatscott352003@yahoo.com
Sent: Mon, October 25, 2010 5:17:41 PM
Subject: FW: [Blogs] Please moderate: "Considering same sex lifestyles"

Hi Rob –

I’m writing to you about the links that you’re posting on the "Considering
same sex lifestyles" blog.  You’ve posted quite a few links to other
websites in the comment section and we’ve let them stand, but it’s not
something we generally allow on the site.  It is a youth site and we need to
be careful about where we’re sending minors.  We just don’t have the staff
to vet all the sites to make sure they’re the kind of places that parents
would feel comfortable having their kids visit.

The purpose of the comment section is to share spiritual ideas from a
Christian Science perspective.  That’s really the purpose of the entire
site, to be a place where people can share spiritual ideas and to support
another with spiritual truths.  We don’t expect people to agree with one
another as you can see from all the comments on this particular blog, but I
do think it’s important to stick closely to our designated purpose.  I do
understand that you feel passionate about this topic, you’ve certainly
shared a lot.  I do hope you’ll understand the direction we need to go now.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Best,
Amy

Amy Richmond
Managing Editor
Www.tmcyouth.com

Immortality is unending life.  Forgiveness is the key that opens the door to immortality.  So, how are forgiveness and immortality related? 

Our bodies are the vehicles which transport us from one place to another with individuality and grace.  But after our human bodies have fulfilled their usefulness — having served their primary purpose (as the vehicle through which we learn and teach “true” forgiveness), we can — fearlessly, gently and peacefully lay our bodies aside.

Like outdated clothing — ready to be laid aside in preparation for something new and more suitable — we will lay aside the human concept of our bodies as we continue to progress on our journey…our gentle passage onward to a higher prayer, toward quiet, active rest.

When it’s appropriate to make the decision to release our bodies by giving our consent to leave them behind and transition onward, this decision should be a painless, gentle, natural, joyful and a welcome decision enabling us to move confidently and peacefully onward. It’s at this point that we will recognize our true identity as our understanding of God.

Forgiveness allows us to leave this sphere of consciousness without excess mental baggage. Should we carry the excess baggage of blame, shame, hate, guilt, grudges (and a grudge is a heavy thing to carry around), this would only delay our progress Spiritward.  And so, either here or hereafter, we need to learn that fear, resentment and grievances condemn while Love liberates. In her poem, “Satisfied” Mary Baker Eddy wrote:

            Love looseth thee, and lifteth me,
                Ayont hate’s thrall:
            There Life is light, and wisdom might,
                And God is All.
We know intuitively that unforgiving thoughts foster fear, hatred and ultimately war and death … but … have you ever considered earth to be a great learning laboratory where God establishes the curriculum and we decide whether we want to learn through peace or through pain. Here, we learn that forgiveness is an acquired ability we need to cultivate and perfect through daily practice.  Let’s not be fooled by the simplistic expression of personal forgiveness (which only soothes personal resentment), the expression:  “forgive and forget.”  That’s Not Healing!  Christian Science can and will spiritualize our concept of forgiveness by revealing forgiveness to be an essential element of God’s unconditional love ,,, which enables us to freely express the love inside us.

Because the door to happiness is always open, there’s no key to happiness…but if there were a “key to happiness,” it would definitely be forgiveness. Forgiveness is growth in grace; it’s learning and living God’s unconditional love; the love which cannot be earned or lost, transferred, neglected or forgotten.

Like gratitude, forgiveness is a human necessity and not a spiritual demand, since God loves us unconditionally, whether we remember to thank Him for our blessings, or not. Forgiveness and gratitude keep us focused and humble. Every now and then … just STOP… do the math… and count your blessings. 

When you count your blessings…where should you begin?. Mrs. Eddy tells us on page 3 of the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “If we are ungrateful for Life, Truth, and Love, and yet return thanks to God for all blessings, we are insincere and incur the sharp censure our Master pronounces on hypocrites.”  It would be so easy to express gratitude for a new Mercedes….but expressing gratitude for “Life, Truth, and Love” … now THAT takes real sincerity.  Here’s where “resolving things into thoughts” comes in handy.  On page 269 of the textbook Mrs. Eddy writes: “Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul.”  So, for example, are we grateful for a good job, or are we grateful for supply?  For a car, or for transportation?  For a house, or for a home?  For a fat checking account…or for the unfailing assurance that Principal Operates
Unspent?  For a partner, or for someone with whom we can grow, share and both learn and teach forgiveness? 

True forgiveness heals, and healing is forgiveness. They are synonymous. True forgiveness is based on the fact that only good is real and that discord is an illusion and has no real foundation.  Grievances have no more foundation and substance than a shadow and are instantly dispelled by enlightened thought.

Healing is neither a change of matter nor a change of circumstance, it’s a change of thought.  At one time, many believed the earth was flat and this false belief may have delayed world progress, (as Galileo could well attest).  But did the magnitude and tenacity of this false belief make this error more real or true?  What happens to an error after a mathematical mistake has been corrected? Mistakes, (or injustices and grievances), dissolve into nothingness when we see that the wrong was without 
foundation in Truth and never really existed in spite of our personal belief or investment in them.  Fear condemns but Love liberates.  Remember, a mild annoyance is the same as a huge unforgiveness because both build walls around our hearts.  So, stay flexible–  that way, you’ll never get bent out of shape!

True forgiveness … never pardons … and never condones…thereby making the error real.  True forgiveness always starts with healing our own thoughts and not the thoughts of others, because grievances are always based upon our projection of what we think others are thinking about, and doing to us.  When we come to the full realization that nothing real can be threatened, because nothing unreal exists …we experience the peace of God. Asking God to forgive us is completely unnecessary because He never condemned us.

The Lord’s Prayer, (Mrs. Eddy tells us), “instantaneously heals the sick.” And to the line: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Mrs. Eddy gives us this spiritual interpretation:  “And Love is reflected in love.”  According to Smith’s “Young Peoples’ Bible Dictionary,” the word “forgive” means “to remove sin or guilt, restoring the relationship between God and Man or between men.”

If we translate the word “debt” to “trespasses” we have:  forgive me for intruding on your presence or time, for overstepping, offending or infringing on your boundaries.

“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” implies…unless we forgive, we cannot be forgiven.  But let’s not forget to forgive ourselves because self-condemnation retards our spiritual growth just as much as the denunciation of others. 

The greatest example of true forgiveness was Jesus’ crucifixion on Calvary when, –completely free of personal sense — Jesus said, “…Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34):  In this monumental declaration of forgiveness, Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated his immortality.  Jesus was able to forgive his crucifiers because he understood the continuation of life past the death experience and his true selfhood as deathless.  

All that we truly possess are the gifts we give to others. Forgiveness is our gift to God, and all our gifts enrich us and are saved for us because giving and receiving share the same principle; that good is without limit.  The Biblical account of “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11), is a beautiful testament to the power of true forgiveness and raises the all important question: would we rather be right or would we rather be happy?  The father’s awe-inspiring declaration:  “Son, thou art ever with me, all that I have is thine.” Those twelve words may take us a lifetime to fully appreciate. Joy, warmth, beauty, comfort, restfulness, light, happiness and self-worth – sparkle in the eyes of those who understand true forgiveness, because what we give always comes back to us.  The Prodigal Son’s father gave credence to the old adage:  “Man doesn’t sin a sin; it is always sin that sins the man.”

Our identity is not our physical body. Suppose for example you had a friend who was missing a limb. How would you introduce your friend to others? Would you say: “I’d like you to meet three-quarters of my friend”? Of course not, because matter does not define our being or our completeness. Our real bodies are the embodiment of all right ideas.

What about companionship?  Are we incomplete mortals, looking for our other halves? And if we lose a dear friend, partner or relative, does this rob us of our completeness, wholeness and usefulness?  When faced with the loss of my fiancée, my despair was healed as I began to express more of the very qualities I missed most.  The void I was feeling was filled quickly with those  supportive, Christ-like qualities for which I was longing:  joy, spontaneity, generosity, adventure, affection and laughter.  And let’s not forget to laugh…every day.  Laughter is important… it’s like inner jogging.  Two wonderful healing thoughts came to me from the Christian Science Hymnal:  “He knows the angels that you need, And sends them to your side, To comfort, guard and guide” (Hymn #9)  and,  “His might thy heart shall strengthen, His love thy joy increase; Thy day shall mercy lengthen: The Lord will give thee peace.”  (Hymn #77). I was instantly
healed of crippling depression and despair.

Often we feel an aching loss and a longing to communicate with the departed. Mrs. Eddy reassures us on page 72:23 of the Christian Science textbook,  “In Science, individual good derived from God, the infinite All-in-all, may flow from the departed to mortals; but evil is neither communicable nor scientific.”

And speaking of Mrs. Eddy…Upon the passing of her dear husband, Mr. Eddy, she wrote:  “I can’t feel much interest in anything of earth.  I shall try and eventually succeed in rising from the gloom of my irreparable loss but it must take time. Long after I shall smile and appear happy, shall I have to struggle alone with my great grief that none shall know, if I can hide it.”  (Page 120 of Lyman P. Powell, biography: “Mary Baker Eddy – A Life Size Portrait” (Page 120 line II Mrs. Eddy’s Letters and Miscellany, Vol. 55:53:7691).

Then, the following year, she wrote these heart-felt words:

O, make me glad for every scalding [cleansing] tear,
                  For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!
Wait, and love more for ev’ry hate, and fear
No ill, – since God is good, and loss is gain.

“Life is but a dream,” goes the old song; and so it would seem as we awaken from one dream and try to replace it with another dream.  We strive toward improved dreams; from dreams of sickness to a dream of health, from the dream of too much matter around the waist to less matter; from pain in matter to comfort in matter, from impoverished matter to abundant matter, from old matter to newer matter. But what does it matter? Mrs. Eddy tells us: 

        “It matters not what be thy lot, so Love doth guide; 
        For storm or shine, pure peace is thine, what e’er be tide.” 

Trying to change matter is an endless and futile task, because matter is forever changing, which is its only constant.

Now, the experience of “death” is not new to any of us. We experience the same dimension every time we go to sleep and travel to remote locations, see clearly without the use of eye glasses, move effortlessly without the limits of gravity or experiencing the ravages of time.  When we sleep, we experience a world without the limitation of time and distance; a freedom from all the laws of matter.  So why be fearful and anxious about the unknown – which is simply a continuation of life, but without  having to carry around a body of matter.  Like a stop sign, death is not the end of our journey, and although we may “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” that doesn’t mean that we need to stop and pitch a tent— we continue onward, and pick up right where we left off.  “As man falleth asleep, so shall he awake.  As death findeth mortal man, so shall he be after death, until probation and growth shall effect the needed change.” S&H
291:23-25

Many believe in reincarnation for their immortality. Well, if you accept the Christianly Scientific premise that there is no past and no future – only the eternal present, and that  “There is no life, truth, intelligence nor substance in matter.”  (S&H page 468:9) than being born into a body once, or multiple times – becomes a non-issue since we are not our bodies…we are free.  Life is eternal — and now is the only time there is. Reincarnation asks of us, this important question:  “Are we making the most of the present or postponing our spiritual growth to the future for a future incarnation”? Either way, we are wasting and postponing a precious opportunity to make the most of the present. 

Life’s exciting journey doesn’t start with birth nor end with our “passing.”  On life’s road, there will be bumps and many lessons to be learned and if we’re wise, we will learn and avoid repeating our mistakes.  Remember, no experience ever leaves us where it finds us.  Although evil often comes to us in the disguise of good, true good never comes to us in the disguise of evil.  Rest assured that God never sends us adversity and problems to teach us good lessons because He is not a vengeful, angry God. 

We can always choose to think good thoughts.  Choosing the thoughts we wish to think is not an involuntary act forced upon us by the media, society, brain washing or even our politicians.  You control your thoughts and you can always apply this foolproof litmus test:  will this thought/action I’m about to choose lead me toward more or less peace.  The answer will always head us in the right direction and guide us to the right decision … BUT … we MUST listen, really listen and silence human will.  “Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.” When we get all tangled up in our problems, be still—be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

Whether we are thinking thoughts of forgiveness or thoughts of resentment, anger and hatred, thoughts are powerful and they can be felt.  "Good thoughts” Mrs. Eddy tells us, “are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort.  And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited.” The First Church of Christ Scientist and Miscellany, page 210:7-11.  The opposite of good thoughts are worrisome thoughts, and worrying is just a waste of your time. If you worry, you didn’t pray. If you pray…Don’t Worry!

Just how powerful are our thoughts?  Consider this arresting statement of Mrs. Eddy: “The spiritual power of a scientific, right thought, without a direct effort, an audible or even a mental argument, has oftentimes healed inveterate diseases.” Rudimental Divine Science 9:21.

Keep in mind that you are responsible for what you see…and you choose the feelings you experience … you decide upon the goal you would achieve.  Every thing that seems to happen to you…you have asked for…and received as you have asked.  So choose carefully what you ask for!

Now, let’s take a look at immortality as seen from the perspective of mathematics.

The physical form of the number eight can be manufactured, sold, takes up time and space and then be can be destroyed – while the principal behind number eight has always existed and will forever exit.  The principle behind the number eight isn’t subject to the laws of matter having a beginning, ending, aging process, decay, decrepitude, (due to lack of exercise and use), surplus or inflation.  The principle of mathematics can’t be withdrawn, burned, diseased or withheld from us.  The idea of eight is infinite and abundant and can be shared and utilized by everyone without scarcity, inflation or recession or dilution because the idea of “eight” behind the physical number eight is not material, it is spiritual, eternal and immortal.  The number eight is complete. It does not need to infringe upon number nine in order to usurp “nineness” for its security or build a surplus, nor look down upon number seven with superiority.  Its value is
established in Mind, and is not subject to inflationary pressures.  There are no good or bad years for the number eight and anniversaries do not exist as number eight was never born and will never wear out and die.  Our immortality is just as secure as number eight. 

Like our automobiles, we need to care for our bodies and maintain, clean, realign and tune-up our thinking.  Let’s be thankful for the service they perform during our earthly journey.  Understanding that “man is Mind in motion” enables us to live and move and have our being in peace and freedom. 

There’s a song “Home Is Where The Heart Is.”  We can feel more at home, H.O.M.E.  the “Harmony Of Mind Expressed,” as we consciously express more unconditional love forgiveness. The result is more harmonious interactions with others.  We can never leave – or loose our concept of home, although we may temporarily be without a house in which to put it.  So let’s embrace our immortality by being less judgmental and critical of others and be more forgiving and loving toward one another.  

The poem by Anna L. Waring, in the Christian Science Hymnal not only heals the belief of grief, it also gives us a beautiful perspective on our eternal, heavenly home:

In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me;
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?

Wherever He may guide me,
No want shall turn me back;
My Shepherd is beside me,
And nothing can I lack.
His wisdom ever waketh,
His sight is never dim;
He knows the way He taketh,
And I will walk with Him.

Green pastures are before me,
Which yet I have not seen;
Bright skies will soon be o’er me,
Where darkest clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure,
My path in life is free;
My Father has my treasure,
And He will walk with me.

A friend was a little short on cash, and so, one day he asked God…."What does a thousand years mean to you?" God replied, "A thousand years is but a moment."  Then my friend asked: "What does a thousand dollars mean to you?" God replied, "But a penny."  Delighted with God’s answer, my friend asked, "Could I have a thousand dollars?"  To which God replied,  "Certainly … in a moment.

Is it going to take a thousand years or a moment to realize our full worth?  To claim your inheritance now, all you need to do is remove the mental barriers you’ve built obstructing God’s riches from coming into your life.  That’s your only task.  Pull down the walls and remove the barriers which are blocking your abundance.  The barriers you’ve erected are no more permanent than the clouds that block the sun.  Remove these temporary obstacles and the sunshine comes through – effortlessly and immediately.  The question is: “Are the channels open for God’s abundance to reach us — and –are our thoughts where they can be reached by divine Mind?  

So what are some of the most common barriers blocking our abundance?

I’m not worthy
I’m not a financial wizard
I’m not prepared to handle great abundance
I’m too young or too old to become really rich
I’m not so bad off compared, to my friends

So how do you self-identify?    Do you self-identify as the child of God, because how you self-identify will determine your state of abundance.  As the child of God, you come under God’s law — which is:  
“I am all.”  

God is the great “I Am.”  So what am I?  Well, mortal mind would claim that I am poor ~ I am insolvent ~ I am fallible ~ I am impoverished ~ and the number one … “I AM” is:  I am what I do.  (Just for the fun of it, ask someone…”What are you”?….and you may get an answer such as: “I’m a boy” -  “I’m a student”  – “I’m a lawyer,” or I’m an American.    Seldom will you hear, “I’m a child of God.”

The real “I AM” is God, the all knowing, all wise, all loving and Eternal.  We are the son’s and daughters of the great “I Am”…and this scientific statement of our being makes us worthy, whole and complete.  So what am I?  I am perfect — and as I perfectly see myself — so shall others see me.

Have you seen the bumper sticker: The shortest sentence is: “I am.”  The longest sentence is: “I do.”

Do you believe with complete conviction: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need”?  If so, the next logical question would be:  How much do we really need?  All we really need is the assurance that all our needs will always be met. 

So what do we need most?  Mrs. Eddy tells us:  “What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds.” S&H 4:3-5.  What a beautiful definition of the word “grace.”  Grace isn’t what we need,  —  it’s what we need most. 

So let’s talk about “grace” for a moment.

”Give us this day, our daily bread”  
…. From the present edition of S&H…Mrs. Eddy’s spiritual expansion of The Lord’s Prayer reads:
“Give us grace for today, feed the famished affections.”

From the first edition of S&H… 
“Give us this day our daily bread”
The spiritual signification of the Lord’s Prayer read:
“Give us the understanding of God.” 

So grace is the understanding of God. That’s what we need most to understand our natural state of abundance:  the understanding of God.  Grace is God’s gentle, quiet, peaceful, reassurance.  It was Jesus’ expression of grace, and graciousness, which enabled him to remain non-reactive to fear, aggression, hate and death.  

II Corinthians 9:8 “ And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”  They say:  “A rich man’s needs are a poor man’s luxuries”?  Have you ever noticed how our needs rise to the level of our available resources?  The more we have, the more we want.  I need, needs so little.  I want, want’s so much.  And yet, all we really need and should really want — are: Life, Truth and Love.  So here’s the all-important question:  Are we really grateful for Life, Truth and Love? 

Mrs. Eddy tells us on page 3 of “Science and Health:”  If we are ungrateful for Life, Truth, and Love, and yet return thanks to God for all blessings, we are insincere and incur the sharp censure our Master pronounces on hypocrites.”  So ask yourself — are you truly grateful for Life, Truth and Love — or — are you insincere?

Gratitude 

They say  “a thankless man is a joyless man” and in our hymnal we sing, “Our gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty.”

So let me ask you…..what are you thankful for … when things are dark, dreary and glum — when you can’t find anything to be grateful for?  Well — you can always start, by being grateful for hot water!  Remember, bread and water can so easily be turned into toast and tea.
Do you express your gratitude before or after a healing?  Jesus expressed gratitude before the healing. He said:  “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always:” John 11: 41-42.  
Expressing gratitude before the healing — unites our expectation of good with Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving is the purest quality of thought — epitomizing our holy companionship with God.  We need to “cultivate” our gratitude.  Don’t wait for the evidence to change before you give thanks — instead, give thanks until the false testimony gives way to Truth and Love.  Thanksgiving isn’t just an American holiday; it’s our continual feast of Life, Truth and Love
Let me give you an example from my own experience:      
As group leaders on a tour of the great Peterhof Palace, just outside of St. Petersburg, Bill and I were shocked to find we were missing three of our passengers. Midst thousands of tourists visiting the palace…I asked Bill to hold a good thought as I sprinted up hill to the palace– a jog I will never forget.    Fear, worry, doubt and a false sense of responsibility tried to drown out my calm trust that God was all — and in control.  The din of mortal mind’s noisy chatter claiming: carelessness, blame, and liability, thundered through my head with each uphill stride, drowning out that still small voice of God. I knew I had to control my thinking and replace the noise and agitation of mortal mind with the assurance and the peace of God.
Instinctively, I knew these lost passengers were God’s responsibility…not my responsibility.  But I was completely consumed with fear, resentment (re-sent-ment) which meant I was actually going backwards.  With no taxis at the palace, and being a great distance from the ship, I agonized over how they would get back to the ship, and then, pass through Russian security without their Russian visas?  

Mrs. Eddy’s poem, “Feed My Sheep” begins with these comforting words: “Shepherd, show me how to go O’er the hillside steep, How to gather, how to sow,- How to feed Thy sheep:  I will listen for Thy voice, Lest my footsteps stray; I will follow and rejoice All the rugged way.”

While running up hill, I attempted to listen for divine guidance. I was trying to follow where I was being led to go, but how was I to rejoice before I found my three “lost sheep”?  And that was the problem.  I was using gratitude as leverage; as a reward for a good result.  Gratitude is not dessert — the conclusion to a Christian Science treatment.    We begin our prayer by gratefully acknowledging God as All, as our ever present Father-Mother and thanking God for His unconditional love.  Before Lazarus had been healed, Jesus thanked God: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always:” John 11: 41-42.

Our Father-Mother God is unconditional Love, whether or not we acknowledge this fact with audible or silent thanks.  He loves us, even if we don’t thank Him on a regular basis.  Gratitude is something we need to express for our own benefit — because it enables us to see that all good comes from God, is indestructible and incapable of being lost or diminished.

Well…I arrived at the grand palace where I expected to find my three “lost sheep” just waiting for me — but all I could see were thousands upon thousands of tourists.  I asked for guidance: “Father, show me what I need to see.” But all I could see were throngs of strangers –standing in my way.  I was still anxious and worried, filled with fear and doubt. 

It was getting terribly late and I had to return to the group. I had no choice but to turn over my personal sense of responsibility to God.  It’s not our responsibility, but our response to God’s ability that gives us the power and confidence to step aside and leave the problem in His hands.  I was now ready to place these three lost passengers in His hands and began my long jog back down to the lower gardens … when suddenly, an angel voice said: “Stop and turn around!” And there they were! 
  
“I will listen for Thy voice, Lest my footsteps stray; I will follow and rejoice All the rugged way” took on a whole new meaning.

‘Listening’ requires a quiet, receptive, willingness to be guided. 
‘Following’ requires trust and confidence. It is letting God direct us in ways we cannot always understand or anticipate. 
‘Rejoicing’ is a wonderful way to begin every prayer.  It establishes our certainty of healing and always leads us where we need to go.  Love never takes us half way, it takes us all the way.  Every right idea carries with it, everything necessary to complete that right idea.

You are right where you need to be…doing exactly what you need to be doing, right here, right now.  Establishing your right place is not getting somewhere else, but appreciating where you are — here and now.  

So, do you value appreciation or do you appreciate value?…(That’s like asking the question:  “Do you love me because you need me or do you need me because you love me”?  So, do you value appreciation or do you appreciate value?

Now Let’s Talk About MONEY 

Does this sound familiar?  “Leaning on the sustaining Infinite with loving trust, the trials of to-day are brief, and to-morrow is big with blessings.”  Mary Baker Glover, 1875 Edition of Science and Health. 
Do you trust God or do you trust money?  “In God We Trust.”  In God we transact our business — because only the business of good is going on.  In Him we live, and move, and have unlimited access to unfailing abundance.  In Him we have stability and a stable, uninterrupted source of supply.
What is money?  It’s just a symbol….little green strips of paper and small metal disks.  Money has no intrinsic value of its own.  It’s not wealth, it only represents wealth.  A pile of money, if inaccessible, is valueless.  Buried treasure has potential, but until it’s discovered, it has no value.  Without activity and purpose, money is worthless.  If you don’t give power to money, it can’t hold any power over you.  The same amount of money, spent wisely, has a very different result than money spent foolishly.

Our wealth isn’t determined by our intelligence — so much as by how intelligently we use our intelligence.  The Mind that is God is the Mind of man which is why we don’t live in anticipation of good.  God gives us countless opportunities to express Him — and then He gives us the ability to achieve all the good we need.  

A financially struggling college student asked for divine guidance one day and was led to write these three words in her check book register:  “Principle Operates Unspent.”  She understood the inexhaustible resources of Principle. 

And so, do you love money?  

The Bible tells us that it is not money, but the love of money which is the root of all evil. Mrs. Eddy tells us:  (MY 270:24) “What we love determines what we are.”

Now, we all know that money can’t buy happiness — but somehow crying in a Porsche is better than crying in a Volkswagon.  A million dollars wont make a person happy!  Consider a man with 23 million dollars. Do you really think he’s any happier than a man with 22 million dollars?  

Chance and change result in loss and lack.  I bought a $3.75 hot dog from a street vendor once, (well, it was a long time ago), and I gave him a five dollar bill. When I asked him about my change, he told me: “Change comes from within.”

When you see lack, you have chosen to enter into the very dream of scarcity you’ve created – in essence, a projection of your own illusion of limitation.  The idea that God could love someone more than another is as impossible as entering into another person’s dream; as impossible as the sun shining selectively on just one person and not another or the rays of sunlight competing with one another.  There are no Displaced, Misplaced or Replaced ideas of God.  

But what about the lottery?  The Lottery is a means of redistributing cash on a haphazard basis of chance.  Many must loose, so that a few may win.  God does not take good from one person and redistribute it to another. That’s why God doesn’t give out winning lottery numbers.  God does not ask us to sacrifice anything … except limitation and false beliefs.  God never takes away our good nor does He give us that which we are not ready to receive.

Mrs. Eddy wrote: “Experience teaches us that we do not always receive the blessings we ask for in prayer.  There is some mis-apprehension of the source and means of all goodness and blessedness, or we should certainly receive that for which we ask. That which we desire and for which we ask, it is not always best for us to receive.  In this case, infinite Love will not grant the request.” S&H 10:22-31.  And a few pages further on:  “…God knows our need before we tell Him or our fellow-beings about it.  If we cherish the desire honestly and silently and humbly, God will bless it, and we shall incur less risk of overwhelming our real wishes with a torrent of words.” S&H 13:12-19.    Then she wrote:  “Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.” S&H 261:4-7

Spirit can not supply matter because it has no matter to give.  Spirit always gives us the spiritual understanding, the intelligence, the power, the joy and the love we need to demonstrate spiritual supply through unlimited opportunity.  Unlimited opportunity belongs to us — every day.

“God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies.  Never ask for tomorrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment.  That’s Miscellaneous Writings 307.1-5.

The term “Love Currency” was “coined” decades ago by Roy Garrett Watson.  Isn’t that a beautiful concept? “Love Currency.” Treasure it and make it your own.    

Mr. Watson spoke passionately about the parable of the thee servants … who were given their talents — found in St. Matthew 25: 14-28.  To the two servants who had taken their talents and increased them, the master said …to the first servant; “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  And to the second servant, (almost verbatim): “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  This was so important, the master repeated it twice.

Mrs. Eddy asks: “Are we really grateful for the good already received?  Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.” S&H 3:22.  So let’s try to energize our abundance with joy…because it’s joy that oils the wheels of success.  Abundance isn’t our goal, it’s our starting point.  

What would happen if you elevated your wants up to the level of your needs?  For example:

I want perfect health.  I need a clearer concept of my uncompromised perfection.
I want money.            I need a more abundant concept of supply. 
I want a lover.            I need a more abundant concept of right companionship. 
I want success.          I need a more abundant concept of completeness.
I want power.              I need to express more peace and joy.
I want a house.          I need a more abundant concept of home ~ (“Harmony Of Mind Expressed”).

So, let’s stop, and think outside the box for a moment and reverse human reasoning and logic and shift the paradigm?

If you believe that substance is material, you will be bound by the all the laws of matter.  Matter is temporary, destructible, subject to age, decay, inflation, deflation and corruption.  “Spirit, [on the other hand], is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal”  S&H 46812-13.    If you need physical proof from the five physical senses – before you can believe – if you must see, feel, hear, taste and smell something for it to be real, let me remind you about radio waves which you cannot see, feel, hear, taste or smell with the five physical senses.  Radio waves are real and present, and are intangible to the five physical senses.  We are taught that only what we can see is real, but, I’d like to challenge you to look deep – look beyond the surface and see what lies beyond the surface of things.

Are you familiar with this book: “The Magic Eye,” one of the best selling books of the 90’s, the book that explores the world of deep vision?  This book is filled with totally hidden 3-D images in the form of disordered, chaotic, meaningless patterns, but when you change your focus and look beyond the surface of the page with a different focal point, these photos burst into beautiful three dimensional images.  Although it takes training, patience and persistence as you learn to change your focus and look past the surface image, the hidden, invisible, exciting “3-D” image comes into focus.

Like these “3-D” images, true abundance is just beyond our mortal vision or focal point.  Unlike matter, abundance is spiritual.  It’s an attitude, a buoyant state of thought, supported by a loving God who wants the best for each of us.  Like the “3-D” images, it not a surface thing.  Abundance lies deep in our understanding of the inexhaustible nature of supply.  Mrs. Eddy said it best:  S&H 129:22  “We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things.” “Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things.” S&H 264:7.  

”What thou see’st, thou be’st.”  So what are you seeing?  (Seeing is the same as understanding….as when you say:  “I see” – which means – I understand.)  

Our universe is limited by what we see.  With closed eyes, we can expand our thinking beyond the limitations of material boundaries.

Let me invite you to close your eyes for a just moment…..

Can you see through your closed eyes your meekness as the source of your strength?  Can you see your humility as the source of your might?  From your innocence can you see your purity?  From stillness your activity. From calmness — peace.  From gentleness — power. From honesty — strength.  From grace — purpose.  From love — fearlessness.  From lawfulness — authority.  From peace comes freedom. And from justice emerges righteous government.

Can you see the potential of the blank page?  
Can you see the abundance of Principle?
The infinitude of Light
The warmth of Love
The resources of Mind
The beauty of Soul
The untiring dance of Life
The vigor of Spirit
The laws of Truth
The unlimited opportunities of Freedom
And the gentle might of God.

Please open your eyes…

“Security” 

If you can lose it, you never really possessed it, because you can never be separated from good.  

In Matthew (6:20), we read:  “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”  And in Luke 12: 13-23.  “And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.”    “And he said unto them: Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”  And then Jesus told the parable of the rich man who built great barns in which to store his harvest… “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years;  take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.  But God said unto him,  Thou fool, this night … [the economy shall fail due to sub-prime loans, greed on Wall Street]  …  (oops…sorry, wrong story) …. “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast
provided…  “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Spirit is secure.  Matter is never secure.  Security is found in God, not in social security, financial security or investment security.  If you think of financial security as an accumulation of matter…remember, it only takes one good fire and puff, your accumulated wealth can go up in a cloud of smoke as when the world’s financial markets took a downward turn.  So, are you using your investments to establish your present financial security, — your nest egg for the future?  
Man is not matter and supply is not material.  Man is not animated matter and matter is not spiritual.  When we see that "all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation…." (Science and Health, p. 468), there is no room for matter, no lack of matter, and no depreciation of matter.  God’s spiritual ideas are indestructible and not subject to market conditions.  There can be no material business because only the business of heaven is going on.  The world of finance isn’t out there – somewhere — it’s in our consciousness.  It’s not governed by external forces, but by Divine Mind.  So, if we cannot always do what we like — we can like what we do.  

SUPPLY and  DEMAND  <<>>  (Not Demand and Supply)

Why do you suppose we have the “Law of Supply and Demand” rather than the “The Law of Demand and Supply”?  Because supply naturally comes first.  Supply coexists with demand.  There is always the right solution for every problem and the correct resource to meet every need.  Think of the law of supply and demand as the desire to possess, combined with ability to pay, or, the law of opportunity.

What does God demand of us?  The textbook tells us:  "Divine Mind rightly demands man’s entire obedience, affection, and strength." S&H 183.  Divine Mind demands your entire obedience, your entire affection, and your entire strength.

You determine your own experience.    You determine your goals and achievements — and what you determine is what you will receive.  So let’s make the most of every moment!  In MIS:230, 6  Mrs. Eddy states: “If one would be successful in the future, let him make the most of the present” 

You are the world through which you walk … and you are writing your own script.  Have you written a rich or a poor script for yourself.  You can always re-write your script.  Eric Fromm described the state of being in love as the ability to give without the need for reciprocation. 
Mrs. Eddy says, "Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us."  S&H 79: 31-32.  Our love for God — is expressed — in our service to mankind
Hymn 182 reads:
For we must share, if we would keep 
That blessing from above;
They cease to have who cease to give:
Such is the law of Love.”    

Remember, a closed hand can neither give nor receive, but an open hand can both give and receive.  There’s a big difference between using — and using up, between giving — and giving away.  When we give non-material “things” such as ideas, love, affection, and prayer, we keep that which we give.  When we give material things, we are simply shifting matter from one person to another.
As we go forth, let’s live lives of gratitude. 
I’d like to leave you with this wonderful poem by Patricia Topper Hyatt

"….Love Reflected in Love"  

Because I’m God’s reflection,
I have what I express,
I possess what I reflect.

Because I’m God’s reflection,
It is in giving love that I feel loved –
I have the love I give.

It’s in giving joy to others that I have joy in myself
It’s in giving of myself that I enjoy myself.

Because I give, I have.
Because I have, I give.