Everyday Spirituality

A physician of osteopath gave a lecture recently on doctoring in the 19^th century. Dr. Brown reminded the audience that although an incredible amount of discovery occurred in the 19^th century it took decades to learn how to apply the knowledge.

It is one thing to discover an idea, but quite another to apply the idea to benefit humanity. One reason being, the learning process requires an “unlearning” of assumptions.

When it comes to spiritual healing, frequently, the public assumes that Christian Science insists on reading the Bible almost exclusively along with Science and Health. A closer look at this assumption reveals 3 facts:

1. The assumption is false. Reading the Bible and Science and Health singularly produces narrow-mindedness and a lack of cultural intellect.
2. Students of Christian Science practice adhering to Truth, not a book.
3. Books are tools, not powers that be. As a result, the Bible offers an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Our application of healing truths becomes more reliable and humane as we learn and unlearn properly.

From Science and Health, “Whatever resembles an idea governed by Principle, furnishes food for thought. Through astronomy, art, natural history, chemistry, music, and mathematics, thought passes naturally from effect back to cause…Academics of the right sort are requisite. Observation, invention, study, and original thought are expansive. They should promote the advancement of human mind to a higher consciousness, out of all that is mortal.”

I went out of town for a few days with our daughters, and returned home to a sick husband. I immediately began cleaning up and caring for him. His health was returning however his stress level increased as his rest days went by because he felt certain he needed to be out in the orchard working. Christian Science prayer treatment not only brought healing but also calmed the situation somewhat and new ways of doing things opened up.

My husband called the neighbor farmer, and knowing exactly what to do out in the blooming orchard, he finished the job that was critically time dependent.

We lived in a small cracker-box of a trailer and try as we did to keep our daughters in the other rooms, the younger daughter began exhibiting signs of sickness. Not exactly knowing what my husband was recuperating from, we decided to find a doctor.

We found a lady doctor, very loving. She detected pneumonia and was glad to see my husband was recuperating so nicely. We were impressed by her composure. She didn’t automatically recommend drugs or give us a scare. She assessed the situation and knew we honestly were making the effort to understand spiritual reality. She acknowledged our older daughter was untouched by the pneumonia but our younger daughter did have symptoms. The doctor then prescribed medicine and asserted that the medicine takes 10 days to be effective but also comes with side-affects therefore we were to use our sound judgement and keep in touch with her if needed. Only 2 pills were given to our younger  daughter because she bounced back to health and we were all back to our normal routines.

From21st Century Science and Health, “Physicians, whom the sick employ in their helplessness, should be models of integrity. They should be wise spiritual guides to health and hope. To the tremblers on the brink of death, who do not understand divine Truth, physicians can be prepared to teach it. Patients can learn the Truth that is Life, perpetuating healthy being. When the soul is willing and the flesh is weak, the patient’s feet may be planted on the rock Christ Jesus, the true idea of spiritual power.”

When I became pregnant, I made special effort to select a midwife who was spiritually inclined. I found Julie, a woman with common sense and the strength to use calm wisdom. Julie delivered both our daughters.

The first daughter came out so quick that the nurse was not on site to help Julie. However, Julie confidently did her job. Although we had different religious backgrounds, Julie and I trusted God to deliver. She teased me later by thanking me for having our daughter early because she was able then to go to church.

Three years later, Julie helped with the delivery of our second daughter. During the birth a methodical nurse came in to give me a shot and whatever else was on her mind for a routine birth. Julie calmly told her that all was going well and I didn’t need or want unnecessary chemicals injected in me. While heaving and breathing, I was appreciative of Julie’s respect and standing up for me.  We both were thankful for every little step signifying a natural and comfortable birth.

From21^st Century Science and Health, “It is right to say that the educated class of scientists and medical doctors are great people. They are more scientific than are false claimants to Christian Science. There is much that yet remains to be said and done before all humankind is saved and all the mental microbes of sin and disease thought-germs are exterminated.”

When my husband and I got married, I was introduced to the Petersen Christmas traditions. My sister-in-law brought tomato aspic to the Christmas dinner. No offense to those of you who like tomato aspic (cold molded tomato juice), but I don’t prefer it and so didn’t eat it. I noticed no one else did either except my sister-in-law and her husband, who appeared to be eating it as an obligation.

Human beings get things stuck in their heads and miss reality. The fact is, there was plenty of food at Christmas dinner and it was silly to overeat or eat that which is distasteful, because eating tomato aspic was tradition.

I mean really, how long had this tradition been in effect? Forty or four years?

Christ Jesus proved that even if a tradition is followed for centuries, it still can be broken. One such tradition is to believe God’s will is convoluted or contradictory; whereas God’s will is a reality we can understand and abide by.

From 21^st Century Science and Health, “If God causes people to be sick, sickness must be good, and therefore health must be evil, for all that He makes is good and will stand forever. Or, if violating God’s law produces sickness, it is right to be sick; and we cannot if we would, and should not if we could, annul the decrees of wisdom. However, it is the transgression of a belief of human mind, not of a law of matter nor of divine Mind, which causes the belief of sickness. The remedy is Truth, not mortality—the truth that disease is illusion, unreal.”