The men and women whose personal stories are hallmarked in the Bible were not very different from you and me. Faced with extreme difficulties and insurmountable odds, they did the only thing they could: They turned to God with all their heart, mind, and soul, expecting salvation where none appeared possible. 

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Peace to struggling hearts

By Charlene Anne Miller

From The Christian Science Journal - August 2012

*Photo courtesy of www.allposters.com

How can we get back to “normal,” either during or after a crisis? Where can we find a genuine, lasting peace in our lives, which sustains us under all circumstances? Chaos and disruptive events can either be discouraging setbacks or the “burning bush” (see Exodus 3:1–5) that propels us closer to God, divine Love, and a deeper understanding of our true spiritual identity as a blessed and beloved child of God, dear to His heart.

Gradually I learned valuable lessons during some rocky periods, and found an eventual return to stability and peace of mind, as I sought comfort and redemption from the Bible. As we read in Job, “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee” (22:21), clearly a better acquaintance with God brings peace and blessings.

The Bible, God’s holy Word to mankind, is a Niagara Falls of inspiration, comfort, and guidance to anyone seeking a respite in trying times. Throughout the centuries, the true stories of divine deliverance from overwhelming debt, slavery, political and religious persecution, starvation, national disasters and wars, illness and grief, have comforted aching hearts, wrought character transformations, and brought a sweet peace and unbreakable joy.

Our “present existence” can become filled with proofs of God’s care right where we are, as we companion with Him. We can feel an unbreakable connection as we turn away from despair and affirm our unity with God, good. The recognition and reality of His allness, goodness, and power encourage and strengthen us, opening us up to the Divine. Unexpected and even unusual ways and means surface, to save and deliver us. We can progressively understand and prove that we are not poor, suffering mortals, stuck in dreadful or inflexible human situations, but God’s beloved children, lovingly tended, nurtured, and cherished. This realization melts away discord and despair and lets harmony rule our lives, more and more.

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WEB ORIGINAL Peace to struggling hearts By Charlene Anne Miller

Men, women, and the need for equality

A Christian Science perspective.

By Barbara Whitewater / March 1, 2012

Because people generally think of God as our Father, it’s easy to think of God as masculine and to equate masculinity with godliness. But Christian Science accepts God as both Father and Mother, acknowledging that both the masculine and feminine equally compose the potency of Spirit. In the Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation” (p. 332).

With God as both Father and Mother of all, the feminine and masculine spiritual aspects of the divine shine forth in balanced proportion in His creation. Strength and gentleness, intelligence and grace, abide in equal measure in all His children. That’s why we increasingly see the expression of these attributes commonly exhibited in the roles that modern men and women play in everyday experience.

But this doesn’t mean that God is a giant half-man/half-woman humanoid. Christian Science goes on to define God as not a person but as the supreme life-giving power that is all Truth, Mind, Love. Like the sun shining on everything without any process of physical selection, so God sustains His beloved creation, unconditionally and indiscriminately, through the ceaseless operation of universal divine Love and law.

My defense of spiritual equality begins with the prayer that insists that ALL of God’s children are impartially created as His beloved representatives of all that is good, holy, and useful. With this kind of spiritual perspective, I’ve been able to more clearly assess my worth as a child of God.

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