With millions of people around the world fearing the spread of contagious disease in different forms, it is wise to daily defend oneself from catching such a disease. As Christian Science explains, it’s not exposure to a germ that threatens health, but fear of germs. This fear could be unconscious, picked up at random from others, or conscious, in the form of fears held in thought and worried over.
As we stay conscious that we live in an atmosphere of divine Love where only the healthy and good effect of God is felt and registered, we can demonstrate immunity to contagious disease and prevent it from having a harmful effect.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “We weep because others weep, we yawn because they yawn, and we have smallpox because others have it; but mortal mind, not matter, contains and carries the infection. When this mental contagion is understood, we shall be more careful of our mental conditions, and we shall avoid loquacious tattling about disease, as we would avoid advocating crime. Neither sympathy nor society should ever tempt us to cherish error in any form, and certainly we should not be error’s advocate”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 153).
In Truth, we are not vulnerable mortals living in a dangerous environment. We are immortals living in the kingdom of heaven. God is our environment. Love is our atmosphere. In the surround of Love, there is no germ to fear, no danger to anticipate. There is only the eternal harmony and peace of God to embrace and reflect.
Eddy gave these directions on how to defend our experience from suggestions of contagion. She wrote, “When the condition is present which you say induces disease, whether it be air, exercise, heredity, contagion, or accident, then perform your office as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears. Exclude from mortal mind the offending errors; then the body cannot suffer from them” (Science and Health, p. 392).
So, be alert. Not to fears of disease, but to the omnipresence of God where you are always safe, and health is secure.
Spiritual mindedness is the surest immunity from contagious disease.
Thank you, Evan, for this strong message. I love the picture of the dog wearing “the helmet of salvation” = I hope he has the rest of the armour on, as depicted in Hymn 292 of the CS hymn book:-
Put on the whole armour of pure consecration,
The breastplate of righteousness valiantly gird,
With shield of true faith, and the helmet of salvation –
The sword of the Spirit is God’s mighty Word!
For His is the greatness, the power and the glory,
The victory his when for succor we call;
His majesty shines in creation’s wondrous story,
And he is exalted as head over all!
This is a very powerful message! There is so much here that I’m going to print it out and work with it as I work with my lesson each day. Thank you thank you thank you for this!
Given today’s constant advertisements for all types of drugs to cure this or that disease (dis-ease), our duty to ourselves and others is to not let these ideas seep into our consciousness as a primordial and necessary condition of human experience. We are first and foremost spiritual identities made by God whose purpose can only be good otherwise all would be for naught and purposeless. If you experienced one moment of joy in love, you uncovered the true nature of being.
Wonderful comment, Josef!
Excellent Josef, thank you!
“Spiritual mindedness is the surest immunity from contagious disease”.
Wow!
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thanks to U, Evan & commentators I look forward each day to your sharing inspiration from Love
I love thinking of myself as “clad in the panoply of Love”, my armor and sure defence. Thank you, Evan, for alerting us to stay alert. .
I am “uncontaminated and unfettered by human hypotheses, and divinely authorized”
just as the Explanatory Note for our Bible lesson states.
Wonderful, Evan! Thank you so much.G
In atmosphere of Love Divine, all, is perfect and complete. All is well.
Awesome post, Evan!!
We are safe and free, as we wear the helmet of spiritual mindedness, and ride the scooter of grace!
Love the picture and all the comments! And when and if, we have let the our guard down, we can quickly annihilate the error and “,,,feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy.” (S&H 249)
Powerful message to study daily. I will from now on in picture myself with that helmet on when I daily remind myself to stand porter at the door of thought! Thank you Evan.
I love Daphne’s comment. It reminded me that after we annihilate an error, we must allow something else to take its place. As in Jesus’ parable of the 7 devils rushing into an empty house, our thought must be, and is, immediately filled with the grace of Spirit after the evil is caught and thrown out of thought.. I am so grateful for this reminder that the fight has already been won, if I allow it. Thanks all, and to Evan for this opportunity to reengage on this topic.
An excellent point Susan – a mental vacuum should be filled with spiritual thoughts. Action should then follow as consequence. Also thanks Evan for the insight.
Thank you Evan, for today`s very helpful and inspiring and needed SpiritView!
I love your last sentence very much, so so true!
Thank you all for your inspired comments.
Very timely! I just prevented that from happening to myself when my supervisor seemed to manifest a flu virus. I found myself worrying and had the familiar lingering bad feeling with my whole being that it was also waiting to erupt in me. But I didn’t let it by making myself focus on God-related thoughts and making it a point to notice immediately when I was drifting off to my old habits. I also read some pieces in S&H as well as my Bibles. I was able to go to my writing awards reception out of town this last weekend because of it, too.
I would also like to remind everyone that CS is NOT primarily about eradicating disease but about maintaining an awareness of God’s innate perfection. When we do, everything else has no choice but to follow. 🙂
Thank you, Lacy, for emphasizing that point. Every testimony is actually an account of spiritual growth, with an inspired understanding of God.