By David Hogg - The Christian Science Journal, February 2006
If you’d asked me a few years ago, I probably would have said that Christian Science is just another religion. It didn’t really seem practical to me—more like something you only thought about at church on Sundays. But little by little over the last couple of years I’ve been seeing something different. Christian Science is practical. It’s relevant. It’s fantastic, really!
Once I started really living like a Christian Scientist, putting Christian Science into practice, I began to see that no problem is without a solution. Christian Science isn’t about being labeled, or about do’s and don’ts. I think living as a Christian Scientist means taking everything to God, just having a constant willingness to listen to Him and to see things from His perspective.
Even if you have the smallest concern or problem in your life, you can still take it to God and find an answer. It’s been amazing to see that. And practicing Christian Science definitely doesn’t mean just having physical healings all the time. Those do come, but what’s been so meaningful to me has been seeing that God isn’t just there when everything is falling apart or when something is wrong. He’s omnipresence—all there is and all that’s there. You can feel His presence anytime. You can ask for help or look for answers, and He’s always there to provide them.
One of the biggest things I’m learning is that practicing Christian Science isn’t just about having a solution for every problem (that’s a fantastic foundation, of course, knowing you can trust God, knowing you always have a place to go for an answer), but what’s bigger and better than those solutions is how my understanding of God and Christian Science keeps on expanding. Rather than feeling bogged down by doctrines or certain rules, the more I learn about Christian Science, the more I feel a sense of freedom. I think it’s the freedom to be myself, who I really am. It’s the freedom to see myself the way God made me and the way He sees me.
I’m in my first year as a student of electronic engineering at the University of Surrey, and being at Uni has given me countless opportunities to really turn to this spiritual view of myself and all of God’s creation. For instance, on the first day of Uni, I was feeling a little envious of how well people were getting on together. I continued feeling envious for some time, but then, while sitting with a group of housemates at the students’ union club, it suddenly occurred to me: Why am I feeling envious?
I felt this was a message from God, because it made me ask myself: Yes, why are you envious? And then I remembered something my Mum once told me: God, Love, is saying: I love you. You are precious because you are My very creation and reflection. I rejoice in your expression of Me.
She then added:
God is rejoicing in the unique and special and dear way you are expressing Him.
Thinking about this made me realize that I didn’t need to listen to all these envious thoughts that were making me compare myself to others and making me feel as though I was no good or that I wasn’t measuring up. My thoughts are from God, so all I can hear are God’s messages of love. I’m enfolded in that love. It’s all I can feel. And it certainly isn’t dependent on what other people think of me.
I love that idea of discerning between thoughts from God and thoughts that aren’t from God, because making that distinction really is at the heart of Christian Science.
Basically, God is good, so if a thought is good, if it tells you you’re loved or worthy, that you’re intelligent and capable, then it must be a thought from God.
Anything else, any thought that makes you doubt yourself or feel inadequate, any thought that says you don’t have what you need, couldn’t possibly be a thought from God, so it has no validity and no place in our lives. It’s really that simple.I’ve also used that approach of only listening to thoughts from God when I’ve been nervous about exams or schoolwork. But on that first day of Uni, I saw that listening for and holding on to these good thoughts applied in this new social situation, too. I saw that everyone there was loved by God, and that God was giving each one of us unique and wonderful qualities to express. There was no competition.
As I thought about these ideas, right there in the middle of the club I suddenly felt a palpable sense of God’s comforting presence all around me, and the feelings of envy vanished completely. I felt totally at peace, and was able to enjoy the activities and the company of my newfound friends.
It may seem like a small example, but it really showed me that Christian Science can make a big difference in any aspect of one’s life. But more than that, and more than seeing that I could feel at ease with new people and make new friends, the thing I really took away from this experience was a new view of myself and everyone else. That’s the wonderful blessing that comes from turning to God. You don’t just get the new friends, or the feeling of peace, or the physical healing. You gain a deeper understanding of God, and of your relationship to Him.
For me, that is what has really been life-changing, because I’m seeing more and more that God’s reality is good, and that’s the only reality there is. I don’t have to put up with anything that is unlike God—anything limiting or frustrating. Christian Science has shown me that not only can I expect good, but I can see it right here and now—in every aspect of my life.
And what could be more practical than that?
October 17th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Thanks for sharing these thoughts. They are very practical. Your sharing is really helpful
October 21st, 2006 at 12:10 am
I enjoyed this sharing thoroughly. Feeling at peace in a peer situation and being free of envy is a “BIG” demonstration. Way to go!!! Good luck in your engineering.