Back when I was a young farmer, I noticed that some employees rarely had problems with the equipment they operated, and a few always had problems. With the ones constantly having problems, it seemed like, no matter how sound the equipment was that I put them on, they would still get themselves into trouble with hitting a tree, or experiencing unforeseen mechanical breakdowns, and so on. I decided that the difference between the workers who rarely got into trouble, and the workers that frequently got into trouble, was their state of mind. And I’ve carried that lesson forward in life with me, namely, that what we think and believe has everything to do with what we experience.
This is a valuable rule to understand because it empowers us to eliminate random evil from happening in our lives.
Yes, everyone is going to encounter trouble and difficulty that needs to be mastered. But it can be done with dominion and authority, and not with a feeling of always being caught by surprise, as if life is a risky, chancy activity. It is not.
In Truth, Life is God. God is predictable good. Life lived with God includes predictable good. Understanding this truth, and accepting it as one’s own, reduces the experiences of random evil.
We don’t have to accept random evil as normal. We can demonstrate predictable good as normal!
If you’re inclined to believe that “bad things happen,” as a normal course of life, I encourage you to challenge that assumption and reverse it to, “good things happen,” as a normal course of life. It’s a much happier and healthier path to walk down.
Here are three translations of a popular verse from Proverbs 26:2, I’ve always enjoyed studying when unseeing random evil. You may know them:
“As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. (KJV)
“Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. (NLT)
“You have as little to fear from an undeserved curse as from the dart of a wren or the swoop of a swallow” (The Message).
Enjoy predictable good today! No random evil for you.
We “reap what we sow” in thought certainly seems to reign supreme in human consciousness until we claim that Divine Mind is the only mind. Divine Love wouldn’t and couldn’t allow an accident or any evil anywhere in its kingdom. As we understand this the effects of past accidents will vaporize from our thought and future possibilities will never come about.
Thanks, Evan.
Thank you so much, Evan, for these very helpful thoughts. In this week’s Bible lesson we have this from Science and Health: ‘Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine “powers that be”.’ (Page 249). Are there any other powers? (No!)
Love this idea: God is predictable good! It’s so logical and consistent with the nature of God. There is no curse. One is only dealing with entrenched thought.
Thank Evan for clarifying this – the belief in accident or chance – all part of the Adam dream.
Mis. 71:18 ~ “Errors are based on a mortal or material formation; they are suppositional modes, not the factors of divine presence and power.”
S&H 419:20 ~ “Mind produces all action. If the action proceeds from Truth, from immortal Mind, there is harmony; but mortal mind is liable to any phase of belief.” [Conquer beliefs and fears]
Mis. 78:26 ~ “If God is the Principle of man (and He is), man is the idea of God; and this idea cannot fail to express the exact nature of its Principle, — any more than goodness, to present the quality of good.”
thank you, Evan. I enjoy the expression of wren darting as often in my summer mowing wrens would dart in front of my mowing, I assuming that they are searching and finding the small bugs evading my mowing path. This image is a truth, that the clear Mind is harmoniously governed by God trusting in his good.
Fear begets fear.
Calm begets calm.
The belief that “bad things happen” begets bad things happening.
When we live in a mental state of calm, gratitude and a positive approach to life – thats what we get.
“Gratitude is reciprocal”.
Much gratitude this morning as a new day is dawning. Thank you for the “break-fast from mortal mindedness. I will break fast from the belief in a misdirected mortal mind by behaving confidently.
Immortal mind is governing our whole “thought experience”.
Evil is continually confronting us, trying to make us fearful of every negative thing that prevails in our lives. Knowing Gods love, power and constant presence can conquer fear and evil! Keeping our mind positive and healthy! “Have no fear God is here!”
This is such a good way to start off the week. If we back out of our garage and keep our car in that direction, how far would we get looking in the rear view mirror? We need to set our goals in the right direction with random and persistent acts of kindness and determination for predictable Good in our thinking in order to move forward in our experience and help move the world forward also, with collective Goodness. A friend used to remind me, if I would say something negative… Don’t give it any energy!
It seems the way things challenge us lately in the worldly view, more than ever, we need to challenge random evil. Thank you, Evan and All, for helping me in these Spirit views.
Thank you for your daily articles and everyone’s helpful replies. I will share an idea that came to mind when I read your article- my “in-vironment”determines my environment. In other words- my thoughts determine my outer experience. So simple-yet precise. Thanks for these ideas- and fruitful forum!
Thank you for this important message.
Sheree McPeak
What a great way to start the week. Thank you Evan and to everyone contributing. We are part of Gods eternal unfolding plan where nothing material can deter , divert or contaminate our spiritual being…we just have to know the truth of Life’s gift of perfection❣️
So very grateful for these healing messages. Just what I needed. Thank you.
Wow.. this message was so reassuring.. I too was a young farmer and could see those who loved what they were doing got the best results..
I again live on a farm for special needs people and can see how those with the best attitudes ( believe life is good because God is good) get the most out of the experience.
Thanks your message really put things in perspective..
“God is predictable good.” I love that statement. This is helpful to me because the way that error attempts to influence me is by trying to make me feel unsafe, or like I am not sure I am being taken care of.
But God is always taking care of and loving His precious likenesses. He is, as Mrs. Eddy says, “the center and circumference of being.” So where can we be that is unsafe? We can rely on Him and know that God is predictable good! Thank you Evan and all who share in this wonderful healing blog, a space of Light.
Thank you for this beautiful Bible verse and translations. I like to think of it as telling us that the curse has no cause – it isn’t from God, the only Cause – and therefore we need not fear that it will come. It has no more power to harm than a fluttering bird.
Thanks to all for your thoughts.
Wow THANKYOU EVAN!! What a radical idea to address so-called random evil which seems to be everywhere if you watch the news. “ Random” always seems to suggest something bad these days however I love the movement called “ Random Acts if Kindness”! We can turn the random evil on its head by acknowledging beautiful random things too. The way a little bird seems to randomly flit here and there, the way thing happen in nature, the way clouds seem to “ randomly” change shape , when a person in the supermarket suddenly comments and says she loves your hair or asks where you bought something she admires that you are wearing. I am reminded this morning that Pilates callously reminds Jesus that his life is in Pilates hands ( suggesting it’s randomness and even his own flighty whim whether to save him or not. Jesus says “ YOU would have no power over me at all unless it were given you from above”. And apparent random evil ALSO had no power from above!! This is such an important topic to address Evan and I love all the other readers comments too! Thankyou everyone!!
Love these thoughts! Thank you ❤
Thank you, Evan, and all you not-so-randomly deep thinkers! Your purposeful and inspired thinking on the subject of choosing the direction of our experience is a refreshing and very needed beacon-call in these times. I greatly appreciate the many treasures you all have shared to antidote the nearly constant barrage of ‘expectation of evil’ that has captured our news streams. This “Spiritviewers’ Mindset” is doing more good than you can imagine! You are helping me greatly to re-pent, rethink, where my thoughts have been resting. So very grateful for you all! Much love and hugs to you all! ❤
Thanks Evan for this. You are blessing the world moment by moment. “Stand Porter at the door of thought! ” as Mary Baker Eddy instructs us…Thanks everyone for sharing.
Love these thoughts! Thank you ❤