When everything is at a standstill and you feel like you are getting nowhere fast, what can you do? My recent experience can serve as a modern day parable explaining the divine law of movement and progress and how you can experience it.
Nearing our destination after a long day on the road, my husband and I passed a sign that indicated the way was smooth and clear through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. But a couple of miles further along we entered what appeared to be an endless parking lot. As far as the eye could see, cars weren’t slowed; they were stopped and turned completely off. Disappointed, we settled in for the long wait that occurs when an unseen accident or construction blocks all lanes of traffic.
I began to pray. I was really tired and wanted to get to our hotel. But it seemed like this was going to be one of those exercises in endurance while a mess is cleaned up. I thought I should pray for patience and to maintain a cheery mood in the car. But what I find interesting about prayer: when we release the control and let the divine Mind unfold His ideas from perfect Cause to perfect effect, we are sometimes steered into an entirely different channel of thought than we first suppose.
Nearing our destination after a long day on the road, my husband and I passed a sign that indicated the way was smooth and clear through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. But a couple of miles further along we entered what appeared to be an endless parking lot. As far as the eye could see, cars weren’t slowed; they were stopped and turned completely off. Disappointed, we settled in for the long wait that occurs when an unseen accident or construction blocks all lanes of traffic.
I began to pray. I was really tired and wanted to get to our hotel. But it seemed like this was going to be one of those exercises in endurance while a mess is cleaned up. I thought I should pray for patience and to maintain a cheery mood in the car. But what I find interesting about prayer: when we release the control and let the divine Mind unfold His ideas from perfect Cause to perfect effect, we are sometimes steered into an entirely different channel of thought than we first suppose.
I began my prayer by affirming that the Mind that is God is the source of all the movement in the universe. As I plunged deeper into the implications of this spiritual truth, I questioned if a bottleneck has any actual place, power or reality. It didn’t fit. Why should I cope with something that couldn’t actually be? Suddenly my prayer was off like a rocket taking me into the divine facts of the order, flow and perfect position of all God’s ideas in His spiritual universe.
The divine and spiritual isn’t something afar off. It’s not an intellectual thing – if by that we mean “in our heads.” It is the present reality that we as God’s spiritual creation can witness to right where we are. Instead of praying to resolve the potential aftereffects of an accident, or the interruptions in all these people’s schedules resulting from other delays, I saw that blockage of any kind isn’t real. It isn’t to be patiently put up with. The divine Mind overrules any material cause and its bad effects through the divine law of Mind – the law which maintains the order, flow and perfect position of all of Mind’s ideas.
The divine and spiritual isn’t something afar off. It’s not an intellectual thing – if by that we mean “in our heads.” It is the present reality that we as God’s spiritual creation can witness to right where we are. Instead of praying to resolve the potential aftereffects of an accident, or the interruptions in all these people’s schedules resulting from other delays, I saw that blockage of any kind isn’t real. It isn’t to be patiently put up with. The divine Mind overrules any material cause and its bad effects through the divine law of Mind – the law which maintains the order, flow and perfect position of all of Mind’s ideas.
Now, for the cool thing: We had been sitting with the car turned off for about three minutes. Suddenly, the cars in front of us started up and moved. I don’t mean moved, as in inched forward. When we turned our car on, we took off from 0 to 55 mph immediately and never slowed again.
As we approached the tunnel and passed through, there was no sign of accident, construction, traffic signal, or anything that could provide a material cause for a prolonged stop.
Under the marginal heading “Causation mental,” Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures explains how understanding the Science of cause and effect as originating in Mind breaks logjams. It says, “Christian Science explains all cause and effect as mental, not physical. It lifts the veil of mystery from Soul and body. It shows the scientific relation of man to God, disentangles the interlaced ambiguities of being, and sets free the imprisoned thought. In divine Science, the universe, including man, is spiritual, harmonious, and eternal.” (p.227)
As we approached the tunnel and passed through, there was no sign of accident, construction, traffic signal, or anything that could provide a material cause for a prolonged stop.
Under the marginal heading “Causation mental,” Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures explains how understanding the Science of cause and effect as originating in Mind breaks logjams. It says, “Christian Science explains all cause and effect as mental, not physical. It lifts the veil of mystery from Soul and body. It shows the scientific relation of man to God, disentangles the interlaced ambiguities of being, and sets free the imprisoned thought. In divine Science, the universe, including man, is spiritual, harmonious, and eternal.” (p.227)
Further on, Mary Baker Eddy broadens the discussion to how the divine Mind as the Principle, or lawgiver, doesn’t cope with the illusion of blockage in the form of sin, sickness or death, but rests absolutely on a spiritual understanding of the facts of Mind.
She wrote, “Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action. Mind is the same Life, Love, and wisdom ‘yesterday, and to-day, and forever.’ Matter and its effects — sin, sickness, and death — are states of mortal mind which act, react, and then come to a stop. They are not facts of Mind. They are not ideas, but illusions. Principle is absolute. It admits of no error, but rests upon understanding.” (p. 283)
We don’t need to pray to unblock what can never be blocked, or to cope with what has no true spiritual cause. The order and flow of divine good is unstoppable for us as Mind's creation. Learn about the divine Mind. Trust it. In the word's of John's gospel, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." New International Version
She wrote, “Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action. Mind is the same Life, Love, and wisdom ‘yesterday, and to-day, and forever.’ Matter and its effects — sin, sickness, and death — are states of mortal mind which act, react, and then come to a stop. They are not facts of Mind. They are not ideas, but illusions. Principle is absolute. It admits of no error, but rests upon understanding.” (p. 283)
We don’t need to pray to unblock what can never be blocked, or to cope with what has no true spiritual cause. The order and flow of divine good is unstoppable for us as Mind's creation. Learn about the divine Mind. Trust it. In the word's of John's gospel, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." New International Version
Not a subscriber and want to be?
Easy. Just sign up in the sidebar.
You may also wish to:
VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE
FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT
LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS
Easy. Just sign up in the sidebar.
You may also wish to:
VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE
FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT
LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS
RSS Feed
