Lessons from trees and babies and patients

Spiritual resource to share: fun

No one ever told me how much laughter happens when you are in the daily practice of Christian Science. There is much joy to be harvested here -and sometimes that joy comes out in full throated guffaws. You operate on honesty and earnestness and you expect and demand results. It has to be practical. It ends up being joy-full.

In one particular conversation with a patient, we were talking about moving forward and how this is natural for us to do. As natural as the seedling rises to its full purpose of a tree, it is part of our nature as children of an all-loving intelligent God, to rise to our full purpose.

A favorite quote comes to thought: "The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." (F. Buechner) It is not what we love that moves us forward , it is THAT we love that we cannot help but move, grow, and continue to bless others as well as ourselves. God calls us to fulfill Her holy purpose. We respond.

But what about dealing with obstacles or seeming setbacks? What would try to divert, hinder or stop us from moving forward. Perhaps it is nothing but our own fabrications.

So, our conversation continued, how would a child learning to walk deal with a stumble? We know that something in them moves them forward; some compelling and holy curiosity gets them to stand up and try again. This is not heroic or out of the ordinary. This is what babies do! (Can you even imagine a baby taking a tumble and then refusing to get up? "Oh yes, you see," this hypothetical baby might try to explain, "I just must be the falling down baby type. Perhaps I am really meant to be on the floor." Preposterous.)

Segue to the Bible's book on II Timothy, where it states:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.... Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus ....

And answering this calling, and practicing this Truth, and sharing/discovering it with others leads to a joy that just makes you want to look up, hold your arms out and laugh.


To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the highest praise for a teacher

Spiritual resource to share: ask questions

"Never lose a holy curiosity" - Albert Einstein

At a recent memorial, a college student stood up and shared what he had learned from his Sunday School teacher, who had recently passed on.

"I always used to ask questions in class and apologized for having so many questions. My Sunday School teacher said not only did he expect me to ask questions, but that he felt that it is vital if we are to move beyond faith to understanding."

Some of my best teachers are the ones that challenged me the most. In these classes, I didn't always get the best grade, but what I learned was pure gold. They sparked a curiosity in me that I just had to get the answers. And, having committed myself to finding the answers, I did!

It probably isn't a surprise that early on, I became really curious about how Jesus healed. Some of the teachers along my path have helped me answer this question and probed for more questions --- which just feed my desire to know more!

Even now, I feel that my main activity in my Christian Science practice is fueled by being spiritually curious about the inevitable goodness of our lives. (It was another teacher who helped me see this and articulate it in my life!!)

Please feel free to share the dynamic qualities of teachers in your life!

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.