What impresses you most as you read the news, interact with neighbors, and go about your business: all the good things that are happening in the world, or all the bad things?
In mortal mind’s version of the world, there are a multitude of bad things happening. Wars, corruption, disease, suffering, lack and loss are easy to find and document in material sense. But Christ Jesus came to show us a new way to live and think. He taught us how to overcome the world, leave it behind, and live in Spirit, in heaven, with God, where good reigns, and evil does not.
Jesus was aware of evil things happening around him, but he did not waste his time fearing them or bemoaning them. He overcame them. He mastered evil with good.
We can do the same!
Evidence of evil may come from all directions, but we don’t have to get sucked into its dream. We can side with Truth, keep our spiritual perspective of Life in Spirit keenly in view and master evil with good.
In Christian Science, we learn to live with the good, see the good, side with the good, and agree with good. Living out God’s goodness becomes a way of life.
As Mary Baker Eddy mentions, “Truth should not seem so surprising and unnatural as error, and error should not seem so real as truth” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 130).
God is real. Evil is not. It may take time to prove this, but Truth prevails.
Be in the habit of always looking for the good that dispels evil.
Be impressed by God’s goodness rather than by mortal mind’s badness. You’ll live much happier and healthier.
To see all that wonderful Truth set out, so clearly, Evan, is really helpful – thank you.
We need all faith in God, in Truth that is the natural reality of being, and the
following hymn I find helpful. No material evil suggestions can overcome Truth,
or deprive us of our faith in God – Christ is with us to help us keep our light shining..
Hymn 205
O for a faith that will not shrink, / Though pressed by every foe; / That will not tremble on the brink / Of any earthly woe;
A faith that shines more bright and clear / When tempests rage without; / That when in danger knows no fear, / In darkness feels no doubt;
O, give us such a faith as this, / And then, whate’er may come, / We taste e’en here the hallowed bliss / Of our eternal home.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 205:1–3)
God has provided to every man the measure of faith it’s one of the fruits if the Spirit spoken of in scripture. We have obtained like precious faith so says Peter. 2 Peter 1:1
Beautifully taught and expressed, Evan!
Thanks!
Yes of course siding with good and keeping our thoughts focused on the many gifts which God blesses us with daily, and being grateful for them, brings us so much happiness and peace.
One of our hymns says “The thought of thee is mightier far than sin and pain and sorrow are.” ” Thy providence turns all to Good. Thy all power helps and heals and sets us free.”
If we all look upon the world with God’s eyes and see it as He sees it, we shall behold His beauty and grandeur everywhere. Our vision will improve, wars will cease, good will reign supreme.
“Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love receives directly the divine power.” Love is always the liberator.
Praying for peace is better than being impressed by evil. “Ominpotence has all power and to acknowledge any other power is to dishonour God” Let’s honour God, acknowledge and behold His power and glory. Then evil disappears and good and good alone reigns supreme.
Thanks Evan for this beautiful reminder
,
I am really struggling with news content lately. I am endeavoring every day to overcome the bad news on the screen with the truth of spiritual reality.
Thank you, Evan for this clear reminder of how to side with Truth and see God’s goodness.
Me, too, Joanna. Evan’s opening question today Is a wake up call. I found last week’s lesson on Unreality to be very helpful, especially this quote from SH 355:11:
“ Let discord of every name and nature be heard no more, and let the harmonious and true sense of Life and being take possession of human consciousness.” This has become my daily prayer.
Thank you so much for today’s topic. I needed the reminder that God is governing me, and mine, and all.
These thoughts are So helpful. Thank you, Divine Mind for helping
to see what is pure, innocent and free from mortal sense that tends
to sneak up on us in so many ways, trying to steal our peace and
harmony. Sometimes things seem to be going smoothly and then –
Bam! there it is – something that tries to bring us down. It is a constant
exercise in trying to be impressed only with goodness, not a false sense
of what the material senses would have us see. Evil does seem to come
at us from all directions, if we let it, and not making gods out of the
material, keeps us from being pulled into the dream of mortal existence
and power, thus siding with the good, True Loving and the Eternal.
Thank you, Evan! Your post dovetails beautifully with what I’ve been experiencing this past week. I’ve been praying diligently to see the man of God’s creating and not be disturbed– specifically about someone in my life I was disturbed by. And lo and behold, I started seeing good being expressed in many unexpected places–a well known comedian being interviewed by NYT and speaking about forgiveness and loving those who seem unlovable, another article about the senate race in Texas and how people on opposite sides of the aisle are refuting to bad mouth each other “because they are our neighbors”, the kindness and joy of the checkout guy at the grocery store who I know is struggling with a physical problem, the joy and kindness of our immediate neighbors, and on and on. It’s a much better way to live–to see the good–rather than be impressed by the bad, which we have to recognize and hold to in thought really doesn’t have power since God, divine Love is omni-power. Love is the only power. And btw, my experience of the person who I was disturbed by has been lifted to a much better place. Thank you, God!
Thank you Evan.
“What isn’t real and what is”. From The Christian Science Monitor, September 30, 2026 issue:
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Home-Forum/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2026/0930/What-isn-t-real-and-what-is?src=shared
Thank you J for posting this article.
Thank you Evan for this wonderful inspiration to start off the week!
I have read accounts over the years regarding menacing looking storms bearing down on Pleasant View, Mrs. Eddy’s New Hampshire residence for many years. She would ask her workers to metaphysically handle these false claims of bad weather, but they would fail. She would rebuke them, saying they were mesmerized by the appearance – impressed by the seeming violent nature of these storms. She simply saw their nothingness and all became calm very quickly.
A good CS Sentinel article: “Why Should We Stand Aghast at Nothingness?”
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/168pctot39e?s=copylink
Thanks John for the article. Very helpful