The last two words of this sentence written by Mary Baker Eddy captured my attention with intrigue and awe when I recently read them:
“The relations of God and man, divine Principle and idea, are indestructible in Science; and Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law, in which God and all that He creates are perfect and eternal, to have remained unchanged in its eternal history” (Science and Health, p. 470).
I consider myself to be part of God’s creation. You too! If so, then, according to the above, we have an “eternal history” to identify with.
What is your eternal history?
I love thinking about this question, because it means I don’t need to get hung up on a temporal mortal history. It’s quite irrelevant. It’s like a shadow that flees at dusk. It leaves no trace. What happens between us and God is all that matters in the long run. And it’s all good!
So, I started to wonder “What is my eternal history?” And I started to find answers.
For instance, when I learn a piece of music on the piano well and play it, I feel at-one with God. I’m at-one with the melody and its inspiration, which is coming from divine Mind. I lose all track of time, space, and place. I’m simply in “the music.” I see this inspirational high as a glimpse of eternity. It’s an experience of my eternal history with God.
Or, when I’m with my family, and love is flowing freely and generously between family members. There is no ire, no ill-will, no tension, no strain. Just caring and sharing, giving, and helping. Time is eclipsed in these moments. Nothing of this world matters except soaking in the love that is happening. That is a glimpse of eternity, I believe, of my eternal history with God. Namely, living the Love of God.
There are many other examples. Maybe you could share one with us?
Christian Science has helped me understand that I’m living my eternal Life now.
My “eternal history,” is not something written in the future, or needing to be dug out of a mental archive from the past. It’s what’s happening between me and God in the moment I’m in. And it’s all good!
Thank you Evan for this. It is so powerful and healing. We are all so blessed by our Father Mother God….Now.
Thank you, Evan, for the inspiration you share with us every week. It’s so helpful. I’m very grateful, too, for all of the inspiring comments shared by others. It’s been unfolding to me that innocence is a very important aspect of our eternal history. Man is innocent of a material birth because God, divine Love, is innocent of allowing it.
Thank you Evan for this wonderful glimpse into eternal history! I think of all the healings I’ve had in Christian Science as glimpses into my eternal history. They transport us out of the realm of mortal thinking and lift us higher in our spiritual journey. I am SO grateful!!
I glimpse part of my eternal history when I’m in the countryside and sitting very quietly just listening to the birds, the breeze rustling the long grass and the leaves on the trees – with perhaps the gentle music of water rippling in a brook – and watching the dancing patterns made by the grass and the leaves as they move. Just thinking of these things as I write brings a sense of peaceful joy.
Thank you for all your insights, Evan.
I know I’m living my eternal history when my dog and I are in the park, sitting in a comfy wicker chair, and I am reading a good book.
I feel my eternal history in time-less-ness or the absence of time. I paint a little each day in .watercolors and oils. I don’t have a lot of time to do it but I want to express the ability God has given me so I set aside a little time each afternoon. This is truly a time of experiencing my intercommunication with God. The ideas of what color to pick up and where to place it unfolds to me. I don’t try to figure out how the painting should go but wait on God’s direction. Sometimes if I hit a snag I stop and wait for God’s leading. If I make a mistake I wait on God’s correction and many times find it wasn’t a mistake after all. Usually I am working up close to the painting just intuitively knowing what to do and when I step back I am amazed at the beauty and clarity of it and also how little time has gone by to accomplish so much. I always see God’s hand in the work,
I too was thinking of Art as an example of expressing God Karen, You put it so beautifully. When I let go of ego and go to God and know I am expressing Him/Her and getting myself (personal sense) out of the way the process goes smoothly and the results beautiful. This is true in every aspect of our Life/God. I work in watercolor and oil too. It is rewarding and fun.
Thanks Evan for another wonderful way of looking at our eternal history in the Eternal Mind.
Love this Jane.
Mary Baker Eddy’s revelation of true Christianity has given me my eternal history; she tells us in
Retrospection and Introspection to revise our human history and expunge the material record. Once I realized I could do this, and worked to ”undo” what I believed I was entrapped in and therefore forever shadowed by my past, I was free to become the child of the One Father-Mother God. What freedom to be placed securely in this eternal history! Christ Jesus assured us that we are the Children of God, and we are to go and do as He showed us. This is the Eternal Now. Thank Goodness!
Thank you, Evan. What a wonderful expression of Truth for us in this post. I love the idea that those who seek righteousness giving up their own individual purpose for that which is all inclusive as the basis for everyone’s purpose. Each of us has an expression to give like flower in a garden of all types of plantings that creates the eternal expression greater than that individual expression in an eternal unfoldment of spiritual identity. I am part of that unfoldment as are all others as a spiritual expression of the divine.
I love these examples and can identify with a couple of them easily, but need more on how better to “revise and expunge” , thanks to commenters and maybe Evan will give us more another day on putting our material records into perspective?
I know how to “expunge” mortal history. Not sure how to “revise” our human experience”.
Hi jhp. When I need to think more deeply about revising and expunging my mortal, material history I find this article helpful. It is Right When-Right Then by Paul Stark Seely. Here’s the link for it. Hope this helps. https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/ujytcb6f1s?s=e
Thank you. This article was also in the C>S> Anthology of Classic Articles. 1
Excellent article, Karen. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome Cathryn.
Being out in the wilderness and hiking through the most beautiful places! Meadows filled with wildflowers, waterfalls, alpine lakes, mountains, watching the stars while camping, seeing an amazing sunset and sunrise, bivying at high elevation, waking up and hearing the birds singing, seeing a herd of elk or deer or mountain goat or marmot, fields sprinkled with the most beautiful granite and basalt. Listening to a great piece of music. Watching my dog love life. Connecting with a horse when riding. Experiencing harmony even when mortal mind tries to present disharmony. Wrapped up in the beauty of it all. Being in awe. Doing a project and expressing God’s intelligence to complete it. And, doing something you know “you” could never do without divine assistance. Something you are told you cannot do but it is accomplished. That is just amazing!
This really touches my heart. I have been standing up to a lie that tries to mesmerize me albeit more briefly than in the past and increasingly less trouble some, but still consistently. A while back I was suffering and really deeply looking to God for some answers and the idea of my “history” came up. It alerted me to to stop claiming a limited, painful, long history that can make something seem like a huge looming problem to overcome and too think about my eternal, spiritual, perfect, healthy, joyous God-given history as God expressed. This is helpful confirmation that my history always has been and always will be perfect in God. I have since made leaps and bounds in progress. So grateful.
Thank you Evan and all. You have me thinking and being very grateful for all the healings and insights I’ve experienced through my study and application of CS. With regard to eternal history, I’m thinking of the history of moving.
Every single time we purchased a home or moved, we were perfectly placed by God. Location to work, conveniences, beautiful setting, location to school and church besides the actual house itself couldn’t have been better!
Beautiful illustrations of being aware of our ‘eternal history’. Thank you Evan and all the commenters. We moved into our home 4 years ago. The garden was just a patch of clay and mud…so it has been a true labour of love to bring it to life! One of my hobbies is flower arranging and this post brought to mind the feeling of great joy and accomplishment this summer when I walked around picking home grown greenery and flowers. ..nothing from the shops! Surrounded by beauty, colour, and fragrance just made me realise and appreciate Gods work always unfolding whatever the circumstance, wherever we may be. The Love of God for man being ‘the same yesterday ,today and forever.’ There is only the Now❣️
This is so refreshing! To me, a garden is like a plaque I’ve seen: The kiss of the sun
for pardon..The song of the birds for mirth..One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
A garden represents seeds, bulbs, sprouting, growing, fulfilling beauty, blossoming
loveliness, timeless harmony, perpetual peace…like life itself. Even in the winter,
when plants are dormant and seemingly nonexistent, their soul lives within our soul.
As Mrs. Eddy wrote, “Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light….The modest arbutus sends her sweet breath to heaven…The sunlight glints from the church-dome, glances into the prison-cell, glides into the sick chamber,
brightens the flower, beautifies the landscape, blesses earth”.
Thank you Carol … Google gave this:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on Earth.
“God’s Garden” lines 13–16, Poems, by Dorothy Frances Gurney (London: Country Life, 1913).
Thank you, Evan! Yesterday with friends at the pool, sharing love, laughter and healing thoughts was an eternal history moment. Wed night testimony meetings are another! Sitting outside with the birds, my resident turtle living in my pinestraw island and my rescue cat, Boo, doing morning CS study is another. I will be alert for others as well
After moving to Arizona I deeply desired more water and greenery in my life. I had studied Frank Lloyd Wright and I got the idea I could have it in my home. After thinking about that, an entire plan came to me in the middle of the night and I was able to draw it to scale In the morning. After 50 years I feel deep gratitude as I walk by my beautiful indoor garden that was featured in Phoenix Home and Garden magazine!
History is now, because now is the only real time, it’s always now. Being able to expunge the previous and live in the present gives freedom from the “bondage of the past”. This weeks lesson on Sacrament shows just how to go with God’s clear direction away from sense and into Soul.
Violet Hay, a luminary and student of Mrs. Eddy was enlisted to organize the branch church in London in the last of the nineteenth century. Then on to Johannesburg, South Africa. She also wrote hymns 64 and 136, some of the most favorite and inspiring. They are my favorites and are a part of my history, too. (64) “From sense to Soul, my pathway lies before me. From mist and shadow into Truth’s clear day, the dawn of all thing real is breaking o’er me, my heart is singing, I have found the way.
And
(136) I love Thy way of freedom Lord, to serve Thee is my choice. In Thy clear light of Truth I rise and listening for Thy voice, I hear Thy promise old and new, That bids all fear to cease: My presence still shall go with Thee And I will give thee peace.
It is said with truth, that yesterday is gone and we cannot fathom tomorrow, that it’s always now, that is why they call it the “present”.. An eternal gift, the “present.”
Yesterday incredible works were done for us.. Records, accomplishments, demonstrations that could only come from the eternal Truth here on earth to loosen the bonds of captivity, material sense. Today is the day of more of these demonstrations of the Truth of being. I’m grateful for this “pillar of clouds by day” and “pillar of fire by night” leading in light the way of freedom.
Thank you all for your inspiration today on Spirit View. A tremendous part of my day..
Coming down the mountain after my brother passed away,
I read this from one of our hymns, 76, reads at the end,
In My hand thy name is graven, I will save both thine and
thee. No one is left out of goodness, there is only one activity
going on, all else is an illusion.
I so love Christian Science. Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy,
was consistent in her desire in wanting to know God rightly, and
and she found Him, through Jesus demonstrations, understanding God as Life, itself, and his relationship to his Father, Mother, God. Knowing this true identity, others were healed, being touched by this light. She shared this light, the understanding of Life, with us in all her writings. I am, that I am. I am, divine Love, that, I am the child
of God, Love’s child, graven in His hand, never changeable!
This is inevitably my experience when I surrender all of my fears, aches, pains, tiredness, vulnerability, etc., to the holiness of God. When I still the onslaught of mortal mind’s dualities in the quietness of Spirit’s illimitable divine truths. When I just sit and rest in God. Thank for this beautiful sharing, Evan.
When thought soars in prayer, above the mortal dream!
Thank you Evan, for this glorious topic, and for all SpiritView friends who so lovingly share.
There is One Mind. This blog was perfect in understanding my “eternal history”, Just the other day, I was wrestling with new information with my so-called human birth. Much love to all.
Karen, thank you for the link to Paul Stark Seely’s article ” Right When – Right Then”. It is so powerful!
You’re welcome Linda.
Gratitude to Evan & All, who shared today.
Today’s topic was in the deeper, metaphysical realm than in times past. The comments were very helpful. I enjoyed reading each and everyone. Our eternal her/history is safe with Love,
An experience of my eternal history with God is the peace, contentment and satisfaction I feel when I am working in my garden (yard) early in the morning, when thoughts are fresh from God.
Hymn 3 from CS Hymnal : A grateful heart a garden is, where there is always room for every lovely, Godlike grace to come to perfect bloom. . . .
Also this old hymn my mother used to sing: I come to the garden alone
while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. He speaks and the sound of his voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing. And he melody that he gave to me within my heart is ringing. And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has every known.
Thank you Evan for your posting and everyone for your comments!
A few months ago I realized I had been harboring deep feelings of resentment for many years for things that happened in the past (parents divorcing when I was 2, my mom and 2 sisters having to escape a mentally ill father, being temporarily homeless as a result, not having things all of the other kids had growing up, etc., etc.). Just generally feeling like I missed out on so many things other people take for granted. But then it came to me so clearly that none of that mortal history was real about my true spiritual identity as a reflection of God. I could expunge all of that mortal history from my thinking by realizing my real history is the “eternal history” that Mrs. Eddy mentions in the quote Evan shared today. So that’s what I did. For each of the experiences I was resenting, I prayed to know the truth about that situation. For example, I prayed to know that my true Parent is God, “Father-Mother God, all-harmonious” (S&H, pg 16) and that I have never been separated from this true Parent. I prayed to know the true idea of “home” is an idea that God knows. And because God “(Principle) and its idea is one” (S&H pg 465) and I am God’s reflection, then I have never really been without the true idea of home, nor can I ever be separated from that idea. Therefore, that memory of being homeless was not true. I continued reversing every one of those suggestions of a past mortal history that I was resenting until I clearly saw the falsity that a manifestation of God (me), that is 100% spiritual, could have a mortal history. And I realized a “mortal history” is just a “suggestion” of being separate from God and I can never be separate from God.
And you know what? As I prayed in this way I was healed of that resentment. But even better, this prayer caused me to realize things about my past that I had never noticed before. I realized how there were various men in my childhood that provided a father figure for me and how grateful I was for that (Grandfather, Uncle, Sunday School Teacher, etc), I realized that even though my family often didn’t have many “things” my friend’s family’s had, all our needs were always provided and many times in somewhat “miraculous” ways and how grateful I was for that. I started to see how all of those spiritual ideas of God have always been manifested in my experience. I guess you could say that I realized the following:
The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares. Then thought gently whispers: “Come hither! Arise from your false consciousness into the true sense of Love, and behold the Lamb’s wife, — Love wedded to its own spiritual idea.”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 574:27–3)
Thank you for sharing this with us Brian. I can understand how you felt even y=though my situation was different. However, what you say is helpful to me as I felt bitter resentment for 8 years towards my 2nd husband as I lost my house (which I’d worked extremely hard to almost own when I met him) due to him lying about many many things. Your thoughts about history are also the way I prayed to overcome my anger about the situation. Eventually, I too was able to see the many really positive things that came about due to my life changing in the ways it had to at the time. Today life is very very good and if my path had been different I wouldn’t be where I am now. I think we must learn not to think that “Its all gone wrong” when our plans don’t come about..God always has something better in store and sometimes we have to wait a bit to appreciate that. I have a friend who loves to remind me, “In ALL THINGS , give thanks”.
Working in my yard and listening to the birds and the breeze; watching the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and stars; playing music; singing; making blankets for Linus Project; feeding my 3-month-old great-granddaughter; playing with my dog; reading a good book; reading and studying the Good Book. These are all timeless moments when I feel at-one with God.
Thank you, Evan and all, for today’s Spiritview. It has been a balm, a blessing, and a treatment.
Evan, I am always blessed by your generous words and generous Spirit. Thank you, kathy
Evan, when I read your blog today I instantly, honestly thought about performing the task of being a Reader in my branch church. When one is in the spirit, really seeking, finding and feeling the meaning of the Pastor’s words, time and space disappear.
Thanks to all for your contributions.
What a marvelous blog this with all of the helpful and thoughtful sharings. And especially Brian. I can relate to your childhood which mirrors mine going back to age 3. My paternal grandparents filled the gap of what was missing in my home life flooding me with love and attention. The record has been expunged through a lot of prayer and only deep gratitude for the joyful memories of the time spent with them remains.
Recently I have experienced something of an eternal history as I watched a bunch of Purple Martins playing in the air over my back yard. We and 2 o r3 neighbors have Martin houses. Toward the end of their season with us they seem to take turns gathering at one yard or another in the evenings. As they soar and cavort it’s as if they are saying, “it’s been nice knowing you, have a good trip.” It is a joyous, noisy example of God’s law of eternal harmony.
Karen thanks for the article, my reading for this evening, and thanks to everyone for sharing.
My pleasure jhp.
Wow, are there wonderful comments today, thank you all very much and Karen for the link to the Sentinel article.
Evan, thank you very much for your inspiring SpiritView full of Love.
I’ll try to give you with pleasure glimpses of my eternal history . From time to time I think about what happened in my past. When I look into several instances I am so aware that God lead me lovingly out of seemingly difficult situations. For instance when I worked in a CS facility I had big difficulties with an elderly woman., whom I had to nurse. She was so unkind and did not cooperate at all with what was neccessary to do. I was very unhappy, and I went across the street where a local telefone was available. I phoned a practitioner for prayerful help. I got calm and went back to my work. From next day on and as long as I worked with her we became nearly friends, and she was so kind and willing even to go out for a walk with me. That was like heaven for me. I am still grateful for God’s loving care in us all. Several wonderful practitioners helped me to prove God’s powerful presence. Once I was looking for a job and had an appointment with a company. Just before I went into a local phone box and asked the practitioner for help. She aked me simply, shall I do something for you? And joyfully I said “Yes please”. And guess what happened, I got the job. And I was about 12 years in that company and I learned very much there. And also here I am still thankful for God’s loving care and guidance. I am very grateful to all the loving practitioners who helped me throughout my life. They are angels sent from God and I love them all for their selfless and patient and loving work for us and all mankind.
Looking back I can see my eternal history absolutely guided by God progressively in understanding Christian Science more and more until today. Even though there seemed to occur many difficulties, I was in reallity not even for a moment separated from God. And that is my eternal history!
I am grateful for God, Spirit, Life, Truth and Love, having been always present, so as He is today and will be eternally with us a l l !!!
Thank you Evan for bringing our attention to the idea of timeless moments. They are precious. They take us out of ordinary, mundane, so-called reality and lift us to Divine Reality, where we actually live.
For me being in nature is one of the main things that helps me experience my eternity. Studying Christian Science, reading or listening to inspiring testimonies of healing also have similar effect of lifting thought to its rightful place to glimpse eternity. Thank you to all for sharing from your hearts and for sharing articles, hymns etc.., much appreciated!
I recall being in a cathedral in England. As I leaned against a huge gray stone pillar I thought of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, who had stood in that place over the centuries. I felt a great connection with all those Christians, all of us really existing together in eternity.
Sitting looking at the sea – does it for me every time!!
Thanks Linda, for me too ! ♡
Wow! Dear Evan, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your inspired sharing about our eternal history. Over many years, as I have been led from place to place, with changes of location, “jobs,” friendships, etc., I have often realized that I could never “humanly” have made those moves or connections, but all were inspired by Divine Love’s direction and needed growth in each instance. One wonderful experience was obtaining a Master of Music in Organ Performance when I was much “older” than normal and ultimately received the degree “with distinction”! There have certainly been things to “expunge” from the human history, too. I am most grateful for needed spiritual growth throughout my experience.
Thanks for this needed focus on our Real eternal history, realizing we’ve only always been “present with the Lord”. It’s been so uplifting when believed burdens of history have vaporized upon perceiving all the while the Christ was shepherding every step when prayerfully listening for guidance. It’s so comforting to feel gratitude that prior tumults ended up keeping thought aligned with God as the “center and circumference” of Being, then to embrace the present as “the eternal Now”, which dissipates any aggressive mental suggestion of fear for the future -since we deep-down already know there’s no time or place where God is not -we really always only are in the deep settled calm of Eternal now 🙂
Angie, I love the way you explained the peace of the present moment, that “we really always only are in the deep, settled, calm of Eternal Now.” A very soothing truth, thank you.
My late teacher used to say correct identification is where you begin. Knowing who you truly are is the lens to look through. I have found this breaks the trance.
Lately in my prayers and meditation I have had moments where I sense I am back to my childhood where the erroneous ideas were first shared with me and have been so ingrained. It has been a healing for me because I realize more and more how I was never touched, always cared for by God. these were just ideas and many things never truly happened. I learned this many years ago but as with all things there is a deepening as we go along.
Thank you! GOOD night.