Out on a camping trip, my wife and I were ready to hike up a mountain trail for the day. It had rained recently, so the terrain was slippery. As we begin the walk, a voice within tells me, “This is a risky hike. You’re going to slip and fall.”
I didn’t like hearing that voice! We had a wonderful day of hiking fun planned, and I had no desire to turn around and sit idle at camp all day. But I didn’t ignore the voice either. If it was legitimate, it needed to be honored. If not, it needed to be resolved.
As I pray to pursue a wise course of action, I acknowledge that yes indeed, it had rained, and the ground was slippery. But I also acknowledge that I am a thinking intelligent being reflecting the thinking intelligent Mind of God that could make wise decisions with every step of this trip. I did not have to accept chance as part of my day.
I resolve to listen for Mind’s wise direction as I proceed up the trail. I will plant my feet in secure places, I tell myself. I will be patient with uncertain terrain. I will not bull-doze my way ahead with blind-will, arrogance, or self-righteousness. I will walk with care and thoughtfulness. My wife is happy to do the same.
The voice of impending danger disappeared, and we proceeded on our hike with glorious results. There were no falls, no slips, no accidents. The possibility of chance had been eliminated early on, and we reaped the benefits.
Likewise, with any activity in life. If there is a suggestion of chance trying to lodge in thought, don’t ignore it. Resolve it. Know that you are governed by a divine Principle that produces predictably good results. That you are listening for Mind’s direction, and reflecting the intelligence and wisdom of divine Mind which always leads to good outcomes.
Know why you are safe and will remain safe. Persist with your prayer until you have total peace about what you’re doing. Persist until that voice of danger vanishes and assurance of what you can do with good results is firmly established in thought. Eliminate chance.
“The Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap” (Proverbs 3:26, NLT).
I will happily take your advice moving forward Evan, thank you!
I recently had a misstep that landed me on the ground questioning what just happened?!?!?
I then had help getting up but have been rehabbing now for a couple of weeks.
I thank God pain has diminished but I seem ro be reluctant to get back to walking since I was already using a cane and a bit unsteady.
Trying hard to stay away from the pity party!
It’s been a long journey recovering from a brain
Injury…
Along the way, I’ve grown leaps and bounds in my studies of Christian Science. I am determined to stick with it, knowing it’s the only way.
I do get frustrated though. I had come so far in progressing. I just now realized reading what I wrote, there’s too many I’s! I now rest in knowing the focus needs to be on SPIRIT…
Dear Susan,
Studying Evan’s message today you can feel relieved that the material diagnosis of a brain injury
was just a suggestion, it was not from God. Brain is not mind – to material false sense it is a load
of jelly like substance in the skull = so how could that have any intelligence.. You can rejoice that
you have the mind of Christ, and always have, because you are the image and likeness of
Divine Mind, and forever held safe and complete within that Mind. The next thing to rejoice over
is that although the material suggestions said you had a fall – you have not and cannot fall from
God’s loving care ever, because you are His reflection – so it is impossible for you to have fallen.
God would have had to have fallen first1!! God says in the Bible “Fear thou not, for I am with
thee; be nost dismayed, for I am thy God. I will help thee…I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness” (This is from memory so may not be word for word). But God IS holding
you close – you are His perfect, beloved daughter, and He is your ever-pfesent all-loving Father-Mother. Lots of love.
Thank you dear Maggie❣️
I copied all you shared in my spiritual journal.
It means so much that you took the time to thoughtfully respond to me.
Hi Susan and Maggie! Thank you both for your comments. Maggie, this verse from the Bible is very loved by me, to and I pray often with it.
Susan, presently I am also walking with a cane praying and working that the Truth of freedom in walking is steadily with me and of course also with you. And there is no thought of giving up. Mrs. Eddy never gave up. And God never gives up loving and healing us day by day. And yess, God’s way is the only way we can go and walk joyfully!
Thank you very much dear Evan for your wonderful experience . “I will walk with care and thoughtfulness” you wrote. That’s what I am doing also. And that is not having fear that we could fall. “I will plant my feet in a secure place” – wonderful Evan! I also will plant my feet in a secure place – in God’s total safety!
In this weeks lesson sermon we read on p.327 – marker 21 “Reason is the most active human faculty”. I think this matches with what you say in your SpiritView today.
Uta, I love your gentle, humble and caring thoughts that you share to help
with our problems. I am sure you also must walk with the hymn ::I walk with
Love along the Way” – and I also love the line “I talk with Love and Love obey”.
Susan, you might find this hymn helpful also, if you have a CS hymn book.
If we walk along with this hymn we are protecting ourselves from any untoward incident, and also helping with the difficulty in walking. So we can all walk with Love wherever we go – outside or inside our homes
Thank you everyone for sharing your loving and caring thoughts also. Thank you Evan for providing us with this wonderful spiritual place in which to
gather and share.
Thank you so much, Maggie. Yess, I do love that hymn 139 very very much, here the first verse:
I walk with Love along the way,
And O, it is a holy day;
No more I suffer cruel fear,
I feel God’s presence with me here;
The joy that none can take away
Is mine; I walk with Love today.
Love to you, Maggie and all! 🙂
I too walk lovingly with that hymn.
Ugh love to you dear Uta. Thank you❣️❣️
I had typed much not ugh.
Evan, thank you 1000 times for your inspirations and examples and prudent advice all of which we need and benefit greatly.
In addition to your advice it is very important as you point out to be Prudent and prepared.
We live in the neighborhood with a significant number of elderly people at the far end of their lives.
Being around these elderly people and myself being 90 it is very important to have a bright perspective and share happiness with neighbors.
I have brought quite a number of people from extremely unhappy appearance and actions to becoming quite happy living in a beautiful place with nice neighbors.
This brings remarkable sense of achievement to me, inspires me to do more to help people look at the bright side of life.
Every time I see these Resulting happy people I am so happy I could get them to see the all the wonderful things we have now.
James – what do you do to help your neighbors look and act happier? I would love any practical suggestions. That is a remarkable achievement.
I’d say It is an “inside job”. We are the ones who have to consistently see our neighbor’s actions and looks as happy, loving, and beautiful. Then, the circumstances change. James may have more to say about it!
That is a very lovely way of helping your friends in your neighborhood, James.
I recall when I went the first few times to visit a friend in a nursing home, I was
challenged by the depression, the sterility, unhomey feeling and sadness there seemed
to be. I didn’t know if I could continue going, but little by little, in changing My attitude,
in getting to know the residents and staff, I found that I could actually bring Joy just by
bringing a smile, sometimes bouquets of flowers and kindness, as simple as that was.
Thank you for your testimony Evan, on how you were alerted to watch what you were accepting into your thoughts from the first suggestion that came to you – and then continuing to protect your thoughts wisely until you felt safe. Our Lesson Sermon this week, of course, is all about watching our thoughts, and staying with the spiritual facts. This is so helpful and important to remember to do at all times.
What an excellent idea to thoroughly resolve the idea of chance of falling and listen for further direction from God, Mind. My shoe got caught on an uneven sidewalk at my son’s home causing a fall. We were going to visit again and I had this fear of falling again. That seemed silly as I now knew to watch for the uneven spots. I hurried to take his dog for a walk and was zipping up my jacket while crossing the street so didn’t see the large pothole in the road I stepped in and fell on the blacktop. It was a tad shocking and took lots of prayer and two days extra at the hotel to be able to drive home. A C.S. friend said she has learned not to do two things at once – wise idea. Now I see from Evan’s example I needed to thoroughly treat that fear with spiritual truths that God was governing and guiding the walk before the visit. A helpful lesson to learn. Susan’s idea to focus on Spirit is a good one. Am impressed with her devotion and dedication and didn’t find the I’s excessive. But what is a practical way to focus on Spirit? In reading our periodical articles on the topic of body yesterday to better understand body there was a useful idea. One article suggested one way to focus on Spirit is to thank God hourly:
“Hourly we thank God for the life, health, vigor, and intelligence which are ours under the government of Spirit and spiritual law. On this sure foundation we demonstrate the truth underlying Paul’s command quoted by our Leader on page 47 of the Manual: “‘Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.'”
This was from the article Temple or Body by Violet Ker Seymer. I’m home today and setting the timer hourly to remind to thank God for life, health, vigor and intelligence under the government of Spirit and spiritual law.
Thanks, Evan, for your helpful narrative with accompanying lesson.
Thank you Linda Jane,
I will now do what you suggest and hourly thank GOD. Adding that to my three 15 minute daily meditations will be perfect.
I think of you and hope we’re in sync with our thoughts.
Glad you appreciated the idea from the article. Thanking God is easy and is like praising God which the Bible mentions constantly. I suppose the thanking can be expanded to thanking God for His care, support, strength. joy, Allness and more.
Three 15 minute meditations is like Daniel’s practice which Mrs. Eddy adopted.
Evan, this lift is so helpful as well as your Daily Lift today and your Sentinel online article linked there. I don’t often write but had to today. Thanks to all those who share on this blog from their love of God, mankind and Christian Science. Blessings to all!
Thanks Evan for todays Spirit View. Thank you to all who posted too. This weeks lesson was such a blessing on overcoming mental suggestions that are aggressive and tempt us to gloss over our daily prayers for ourselves and identifying ourselves as God’s child free from the claims of mortal mind. I so appreciated Evans reminders to clear our thoughts and claim our rightful place as a spiritual being, not subject to any other creator. We can all just step out with confidence in our Father-Mother God to be right with us all the way and filling our thoughts with joy knowing we are upheld in God’s arms. Hymn 53 is one of my favorites from the Christian Science Hymnal, it begins ” Ever lasting arms of Love, are beneath, around above; God it is who bears us on, His the arm we lean upon.” With that in thought we can accomplish much and defeat any fears of missing a step or falling.
Blessing to all.
Suzie H
As a Girl Scout leader, I would teach and practice, “Be prepared.” I like to reword that as, “Be pre-prayer-ed, and continue praying and obeying the answer to prayer.“. Thank you for reminding me of countless examples of the resulting protection, direction, provision and healing blessings for so many.
If it is a problem, solve it and glorify God. If it is not a problem, prove it and praise God.
Thank you, Evan. I needed to “hear” this message, which applies to our daily life in every aspect and moment.
Love those ideas from Evan. Not sure how I can apply it to a loosening of a prothesis (hip implant, according to a recent xray), which is a nuisance. Prefer not to have more surgery and would love to correct it spiritually.
With God, you will correct it Caz.
Thoughts of love to you❣️
As I’ve read this lovely SpiritView today, and the comments following from this beloved community, it’s occurred to me that this is Christianity in action! True Christianity: Love extended to others, love to ourselves, knowing our Source of that Love is God, giving unto others with tenderness, kindness, gentleness, both with ourselves, as well as our brothers and sisters.
This is so precious to me.
I look forward to our daily conversations, and rejoice in the love that I find here
Thank you, Evan
Thank you each and everyone
How blessed we are to know Love as All Powerful
You are so accurate in sharing the blessing of love for all of us dear Annie. I’m grateful for coming back here after my usual early mornings.
Everyone contributing to SpiritView have been ‘a gift’ in a magnificent sequence, Divine Mind is Will Power,..so (Rest In Peace).. Divine Power is not misplaced or out of batteries. or out of date. Dismay or frustration, is mortal blather, not knowing God is All.. at all. Like the weave through the loom, in this weeks lesson, … evil threads don’t have a chance, they don’t touch the fabric of Divine Life…or is any part of The Comforter.. they have no bearing on the Truth that sets us free.
Asking why some have such a seemingly disconnect with Truth, Christ, God, Christian Science..
To have a confident friendly buddy one would do anything for ..knowing the never ending Heaven Health and Harmony..and Trusts, the return…is filled with the Christ, Love.
Well walking on Sunshine is very practical…no miracle at all.
That 90 is 09 inverted,.. the Happy Gang… made by
God..I belt out “When the Saints come marching IN..” and my thoughts fill with whoever I see, remember or think of.. they might very well…be driving a pick up truck, or have a cane.
There is no Obituary column, SpiritView on, Thank Good-ness, for You, Evan and S.Viewers..
This is a very deep and meaningful message today. Thank you dear Evan and all who
have shared. There has been a sense of confusion in thinking sometimes and trying to
mortally put the puzzle pieces in place can sometimes be quite difficult and frustrating.
But in it’s spiritual interpretation, things make sense. At times, like when driving to the
store, the “thought” comes to slow down, there may be danger ahead. Sometimes in
doing so, there is nothing there, and it is easy to overlook the guidance the next time,
but we do need to be cautious in listening .. like one time, the God-directed thought
came, when I did slow down and as a car was passing me…. a deer jumped out in front
of both our cars. We were both protected.
Trust is a major thing in my life and sometimes it is very difficult to know who or what
is “real” . There seems to be outside influences that make us question just what is really
the truth (like with impending war, the economy, weather issues, not to mention personal
issues that try to weigh us down) and it can be quite perplexing and conflicting like Evan’s
suggestion of not going on the hike. Like James, I, too, have mortal suggestions from all
sides, with those having been influenced by wrongly believing in the pandemic, politics,
or other “aging” beliefs of folks, which it seems all they want to see as real, so find avoiding
these mental intimidations, the best way, as not to be tempted into believing them. . It
makes life challenging to overcome these false suggestions at times, but having the love of “spiritual”-minded friends here to share with, certainly helps keeping thought rightfully
in tune with God, rather than drifting off into what may seem like a perceived direction of
truth, or future outlook, but really isn’t. God/Spirit/Love helps in times as these and I am
so grateful for you all and for these wonderful truths that really help in moving forward –
spiritually.
Oh how I LOVE all you share sweet, gentle Angel.
So grateful I reurned to Spirit View late in the day for the glorious gems shared❣️
Thank you so much for your kind words, dear Susan. Sharing helps us
all learn and practice what we are learning. And Yes, the “glorious gems”
continue on past the morning. It is wonderful this very helpful venue is
here for us at all hours to peruse, reread and love everything written.
Dear Angel, I am deeply grateful for the excellent explanation of thoughts which we are “sent” to avert a situation/scenario/danger/death
Your spiritual interpretation coincides with how and when to listen.
I lost my father, a recent new hire in a different state, by a very large company, in another state than where he graduated with his Master’s degree. Just this week I learned that this new company, where our entire family of 5 children had moved, so that my father could apply his new graduate degree through this new employment, later developed napalm and agent orange used in the Vietnam war with China. On bended knee, I see the protection provided and so I am grateful now that he passed away soon after his work started, He was never in support of war, although he enlisted in WWII, so after returning from WWII, I am profoundly grateful he was not employed nor contributed to the development of Napalm nor Agent Orange.
I pray, “Open mine eyes that I may see. . . “
Thank you Evan, and thank you for today’s Daily Lift and article:
“God is in control” by Evan Mehlenbacher:
https://www.christianscience.com/christian-healing-today/daily-lift
Thank you , Evan.
Thank you J and thank you Evan for your wonderful testimony in your today`s DailyLift! 🙂
And dear Evan, thank you very much for your article from the Sentinel about “God is in control”. It is an inspiring, uplifting and teaching article. It gives me very much! One can find it in the DailyLift mail. An inspiring, uplifting and blessed day to a l l 🙂
What is ugh Susan mentioned?
I just read what Susan had written above in clarifying, Uta. She had typed “much”,
but her computer/phone changed it to ugh. When I was typing my message below,
I had to correct several spell checks that the computer decided on it’s own to
change.
Ugh was a slip of the fingers – As Susan explained, she meant to
write “huge”. – I see that it is also an anagram of ‘hug”
A passage from S&H which incorporates all of today’s wonderful thoughts in
one concise way, starts on page # 577, where Mrs. Eddys writes,
“In the following Psalm one word shows, though faintly, the light which Christian
Science throws on the Scriptures by substituting for the corporeal sense, the
incorporeal or spiritual sense of Deity: – She writes:
[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures; [LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters.
[LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense] : [LOVE] leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for [LOVE] is
with me; [LOVE’S] rod and [LOVE’S} staff they comfort me.
[LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; [LOVE] anointed my
head with oil ; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [LOVE] forever.”
DIVINE LOVE – a great place to Be! where we are always safe, secure and guarded by
God’s gentle presence.
Thank you, Evan, for your article from the Sentinel about “God is in
control” which I have shared with myself for further study. And thanks ‘to everyone who has contributed today. This has been extremely helpful to me.
Ageless living by Barbara Vining
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/2024/2/126-08/ageless-living?s=e
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/2024/2/126-08/ageless-living?_gl=1*1nao46a*_ga*MTMwNTIwNjk5NC4xNjg1MTA0ODI2*_ga_82T1KK2N0J*MTcxNzEwNjg5Mi41ODYuMS4xNzE3MTA2OTYwLjAuMC4w
A very helpful article by Barbara Vining
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/2024/2/126-08/ageless-living?s=e
A much-needed way to correct our thinking and to know when the voice is the one we should obey. thank you so very much.