Forgiveness Heals! Love Yourself Enough!

Forgiveness for oneself and others brings immediate healing.  Children naturally understand the importance of compassion.  We can help them identify with the strengths they recognize in themselves while they learn to love what they feel challenges them.  To know that each of us have the tools to claim dominion and freedom from the mental attacks of criticism, blame, weakness, sadness, mistakes, loneliness, etc.  Being grateful for challenges is recognizing one can learn to go to God, yield to divine Mind, and see that the burden is light-the light of Truth in the midst of difficulty/darkness.  We are at one with these qualities of God: Love, Truth, Mind, Principle, Soul, Spirit, Life and can claim dominion over evil of any kind when we identify with these qualities each day. 

Let Your Armor Shine!

One night my 12 year old son asked me why he always feels like he has one challenge after another, and how it seems sometimes that his prayer isn’t effective.  I thought, how many times have we all asked that question. Recently he was on crutches for a knee injury that kept him out of sports, due to another team’s player wearing metal cleats during a scrimmage.  But then, after being unable to walk or bend his knee for a week and a half, he got up one Thursday morning and was able to walk and run and go to practice that afternoon.  He played in his next football game on Saturday, completely free.  

Two days later I received an urgent call to come to the field toward the end of his football practice.  He had been hit during a play, and was unable to get up. When I got to the field, he was on his stomach, crying out in pain.  The team trainer was there with one of the Assistant Coaches and a couple of moms, all trying to take care of him.  His team had finished practice, and were getting group pictures taken.  The trainer began giving me a long list of possible injuries, admitting that he really couldn’t tell the severity of the injuries. He did his best to make me aware of what I could potentially expect. 

I listened to what he said, declaring mentally that God knew the truth of man’s being and refuting that human opinion could have any ill effect on God’s man.  I immediately spoke to my son, knowing that the appearance of pain and injury was not the truth of his expression.  He had never been out of God’s care.  He was in the everlasting arms of Love, around, beneath, above.  He was able to stand up, even though it seemed very painful for him.  The trainer was amazed and said it was the most amazing thing he had seen (given his long list of diagnosis).  He also told me several times that the only explanation was that it must be all psychological on my son’s part.   I was able to get him home, cleaned up and comfortable.  I called a Christian Science Practitioner and asked for Christian Science treatment for my son.  

My son told me that before he hit the ground during practice that day, he declared that God was right there with him and that he was protected by his spiritual armor.  He was referring to the Bible, in the book of Ephesians 6:11-17 NRSV, where it says, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh...Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.  As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.  With all of these take the shield of faith...Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  He had an understanding and expectation of that protection.

In answer to his question about always feeling challenged, I relayed this analogy.  There is a movie called “A Knight’s Tale” where the main character, a peasant who works for a knight, puts on the knight’s armor when he can no longer compete, in order to finish the  jousting tournaments.  The armor serves its purpose when he is getting started, but it becomes damaged.  When he takes it to get repaired, he finds that new armor is what he needs.  The old armor served its purpose, but as he became more skilled and knowledgable, or more challenged, in this work he would require armor that suited him better.  

So when we feel challenged, we can think of it as getting fitted for new armor.   As we grow in our understanding of our relationship with God, we get opportunities to prove our understanding and oneness with God.  Each opportunity can make our expectation for good stronger and our demonstration of the protection and guidance of Divine Love become so natural and effortless that we learn to be grateful for the good that comes from each challenge. 

This quote from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, reminds me of the armor that is our protection.  “At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good.  Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil.  Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.” page 571. 

“Neither organic inaction nor over-action is beyond God’s control;” Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book Science and Health page 125.  She also states in the Preface, “Many imagine that the phenomena of physical healing in Christian Science present only a phase of the action of the human mind, which action in some unexplained way results in the cure of disease.” “The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus’ time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation.”  

Be sure to affirm the good you are already doing, with humility, knowing that is your armor because it reflects God, good. God is All-in-all. Stand firm in your understanding of Truth, allowing God to show you every step.  Walk with Love.  Guard against the arguments of time, matter, human opinions, doubt, fear, and human history.  Know that God’s work is done, and as the first chapter of Genesis declares, “Behold it was very good.”  

These hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal are comforting reminders:

Eternal Mind the Potter is,
And thought th' eternal clay:
The hand that fashions is divine,
His works pass not away.
Man is the noblest work of God,
His beauty, power and grace,
Immortal; perfect as his Mind
Reflected face to face.

God could not make imperfect man
His model infinite;
Unhallowed thought He could not plan,
Love's work and Love must fit.
Life, Truth and Love the pattern make,
Christ is the perfect heir;
The clouds of sense roll back, and show
The form divinely fair.

God's will is done; His kingdom come;
The Potter's work is plain.
The longing to be good and true
Has brought the light again.
And man does stand as God's own child,
The image of His love.
Let gladness ring from every tongue,
And heaven and earth approve.

by:  Mary Alice Dayton

Everlasting arms of Love
Are beneath, around, above;
God it is who bears us on,
His the arm we lean upon.

He our ever-present guide
Faithful is, whate'er betide;
Gladly then we journey on,
With His arm to lean upon.

From earth's fears and vain alarms
Safe in His encircling arms,
He will keep us all the way,
God, our refuge, strength and stay.

by John R. Macduff

I am so grateful for the opportunity to witness this healing, and for my son’s firm understanding and confidence in his relationship with his Father-Mother-God.

What Does The Face of Harmony Look Like

I asked a group of children ages 9-14, recently, how they could recognize harmony in their day. They said when the opposite of harmony seems so real, they want to be able to do something about it.   This is what they said the face of Harmony, Divine Love in action, looks like to them: 

Opportunities to find good in what looks like a bad situation that allows me to change my attitude to be open to blessings.  

Recognizing error so I can shut the door on a teasing or tempting suggestion and see what is true about a me.

Incapable, unknowable, inadequate, angry, frustrated, sad, and turn it into qualities that are the real and true reflection of God which are complete, pure, safe, intelligent, capable, vital, clear thinking, peaceful, grateful.

Staying focused on me and my salvation, not recognizing the error and ways of salvation of others.  That is mental gossip, rolling around in my thought, pointing fingers at others.  But rather, keeping my thought higher, not getting trapped by error and taking the bait and reeling.

Strength and courage, without hate.

Innocence. Purity. God governed strength. Love. Seeing you the way God, Divine Love, sees you. 

God is the way and I am the will, not human will, but willing to listen for the Angel messages that give us the answers we need to hear.

roasting pig and lamb-sacrament vs. sacrifice

I am

Broken, inadequate, scared.

I am complete.

Sad, torn, gray.

I am vibrant.

Unworthy, unable, unnecessary.

I am loved.

Murky, unsure, wilted.

I am pure.

I am the beloved child

of my Father-Mother-God.

I am the pure expression

of life, love, joy - whole and complete.

I am able to face down the evil

that tries to destroy me, convince me.

I am the beloved child of God.

I can hold his hand.

'Tude to a Different Tune

Saturday morning was a nonstop soccer day! Three children playing in three games for three hours. We had already watched two of them, and were onto the third game. While my husband was helping the coach, I sat on the sidelines with two of our girls. Our youngest daughter, was getting hungry and a little cranky and all the snacks had been depleted. I told her we would get lunch when the game was over, but she just kept being fussy and pouty.

She is normally very cheerful and easy-going, but she had gotten to a point where she wouldn’t respond to anything I said to her. I told her to come sit down in front of me, pointing to the spot I designated for her. When she came around to sit down, she went for my lap, instead of the ground in front of me to which I had pointed.

My first thought was to say no to her sitting on my lap. She had acted ugly and I wasn’t going to reward bad behavior. Plus, I was frustrated and wanted space. Then I realized what was needed was for me to embrace her and let Love melt away the anger. As soon as she sat down, I put my arms around her and she melted into me. Her usual sweetness and patience replaced the previous attitude. I was glad I had yielded to an expectation that Divine Love would provide the change needed.

I saw that those unkind and disrespectful qualities were not a part of her being. I knew that as a child of God, she could only reflect good qualities. That left no room for anything unlike God, Good.

In the Bible, in the book of Genesis, it says, “And God saw everything he had made, and behold it was very good.” It says, ‘very good’ not sometimes good. As we reflect that goodness, we prove God’s all-ness and ever-present help.

Even though I wanted to be mad for a little bit as well, God got in front of me and said I needed to handle the situation differently. God gave me the answers I needed at that very moment and all I had to do was listen and be obedient to that message.

When I look on it now, as I write, it seems so easy to just listen and obey a right idea. At the time human wills try to collide in a conversation, its tempting to hold on to the anger and frustration that gets worked up. Its really just as simple as turning on a light switch to see in a dark room. I could have stayed angry, had a public, fretful conversation. We’ve all heard parents have those conversations out in public before. Whether its public or private, I don’t want to let frustration or sarcasm take over the way I speak.

There is a saying, “If you want to hear the way you speak, listen to your children.” So the conversations I have with them should be an example of how they are to speak to other people. Effective communicators, with good morals and motives can have a positive affect on the world around them.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, “Divine Love always has met, and always will meet every human need.” Its a sentence I grew up with that provides comfort with an expectation of good answers.

We spent the rest of the game time cheering on the team, laughing and talking with her sister and our friends. The bad attitude left quicker than it came, and lunch came right after!

Robin the Toothethius aka Band of Brothers and Sisters

Hi Mom, just wanted to let you know we've had a good demonstration." Our 20 year old son, JamesTyler was calling. My husband and I were on our way to a dinner for our oldest daughter at her high school when he called. We were about an hour from home and our son was taking care of our four younger children.

He had picked up the two youngest children from their bus after school and was waiting for the Middle School bus to arrive. Our youngest son, Robin, was playing with some friends who were also waiting for the second bus. He fell face first on the sidewalk while playing tag and broke his two front teeth and bit through his bottom lip. The bus had just arrived with the Middle Schoolers and parents were picking up their children. Our youngest daughter called for JamesTyler to come help. Robin, was laying on the ground, bleeding and a crowd had formed. Robin was crying, mostly because he was surprised and fearful, and some of the other children started to cry concerned for their friend and brother.

JamesTyler sat down with him to comfort him while one of his sisters went to get some napkins to help him get cleaned up. JamesTyler reminded Robin that God was already there, and he was safe. The crowd was very supportive. Robin's big brother scooped him up and took him to the car with the his other brother and sisters. He had become calm and they were making jokes and Robin was laughing, letting go of any fear or concern. He had even brought home the broken tooth he found on the ground.

When they got home, they gave us a call. Everyone was calm and joyful and grateful. We asked if we should come right home, but they all answered no and assured us that everything was fine. When we spoke to Robin, he said in a cheery voice, "Hey, Mom, did you know your teeth are in layers?" He had obviously moved on to a cooler subject. His attitude made me smile and reminded me to let go as well.

My first thought was to turn around and go home so I, the Mother, could take care of him. I knew it would disappoint our daughter who was waiting for us, but I also knew she would understand. I am normally a calm person, but I found myself fighting off reactive emotions and thinking, “My baby!” Then I reminded myself that God was already there with him. God, his Father-Mother-God. I knew God was attending to every one of Robin's needs. Robin had already proven that he was receptive to that care and had turned to God for comfort and received it. All the children, big and small, were confident in God's care and were sharing ideas with each other in support of that.

Some of the ideas they shared with Robin were that he could never fall out of God's care. That he was always safe and protected in God's love. They also found comfort in the Lord’s Prayer. Knowing the comfort these ideas brought him, Robin was able to immediately let go of any fear or shock from the fall and any pain associated with it. He had no swelling or bruising and no trauma.

The children had learned at a very early age that God was their Father-Mother and that God's love and guidance gave them a strength on which to rely. They have seen many healings in our home and proofs of God's care, so it is natural for them to turn to God. Facing down fear, the children remarked that the blood on the napkin looked like paint and they were not impressed by the show of color. The rest of the night was calm and joyful for all of us. They all ate pizza for dinner, and later, Robin also had his favorite snack, popcorn.

I had left a message with the dentist that night so that we could take Robin in as soon as possible the next morning. The dentist made room for him very quickly repairing his chipped tooth and his half tooth, and Robin's smile looked good as new. Robin was great in the dentist's chair. They were laughing and joking even though there was a great deal of work needing to be done. I had become concerned while waiting for the dentist to finish, when I heard Robin say, in his best Scottish brogue imitation, “What’s wrong with you man, I can’t feel my nose!” I had to laugh at Robin’s outburst and the mesmerism fear was trying to have over me. I saw that outburst as God’s way of having a child show me I still needed to let go and trust God’s continued care! I acknowledged that God had not gone anywhere!

When we left the dentist’s office, it was lunchtime and Robin was hungry. He wanted a hamburger and a shake. I was thinking more along the lines of yogurt or applesauce and crackers. That was unacceptable to a hungry boy. I realized I needed to be sure I was again, not letting fear persuade my decisions and couching itself as “motherly wisdom”. So I listened to what I call God’s Angel messages for direction. What I heard was that it would be alright and I didn’t have to worry. We drove through Hardy’s and he heartily ate with no pain to his mouth or damage to the new work, and grinning from ear to ear.

I gave thanks to my Father-Mother for continuing to guide my thoughts, words and actions as I reflect the qualities of parenting. I also gave thanks for the humility to listen and not let human will get into an argument.

Robin was a real trooper that day and he is so thoughtful about caring for his front teeth.

I found myself using the children's example of faith, trust, humility and joy to overcome pangs of anxiety and fear for my child. Every now and then sadness for the situation came to me and I realized that my sense of perfection was being challenged. I was tempted to believe that somehow Robin was broken, hurt, abandoned and only if I could see perfection physically, was it true.

I woke up my thought to that temptation and claimed the truth about him immediately. Perfection isn’t bound by materiality, time, distance or any other human concept. It is the reflection of Spirit, God, manifested in us, physically, mentally and morally. It is Soul, the expression of the qualities of our identity as a child of God.

The immediate support our children gave each other came from truths they had learned from their parents at home, teaching them about their close relationship with God, as described in the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. They also attend the Christian Science Church and Sunday School where they learn and share with others how to live the ideas they are understanding and demonstrating every day. Lessons from Moses, the prophets, Christ Jesus, The Book of Psalms, and many other examples in the Bible give them reliance and strength and comfort that they turn to in need.

In Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy writes on page 62, “The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law, with which the child can meet and master the belief in so-called physical laws, a belief which breeds disease.”

I was so grateful for JamesTyler’s calm, clear thought. As he went over to help Robin, he walked with God, listening for those Angel messages that would tell him how to mentally approach the situation. It set the tone for all his brothers and sisters that were with him and even some of the parents and children that were concerned.

This opportunity was for the glory of God! It serves as a reminder that we can all turn to God every moment to help us with everything. God is Love, and God loves all of us!