My tennis coach observes my serve and says, “You can do better. Let me show you.” He teaches me a new way of swinging the racket to put spin on the ball and encourages me to practice it.
It is a better serve for me, but there is great resistance in thought to implementing it during competition. I am afraid of doing it wrong, messing up my serve and looking ridiculous.
Most of the time, I remain in my old comfort zone and resort to my old serve, which gets the ball in, but is not nearly as effective as the new serve.
After months of struggling with what to do, I realize that I am letting fear hold me back. If I am going to progress, I need to conquer that fear, I conclude.
In my prayers, I decide that God gives me the ability to master that serve, and that I need to honor God’s gift by proving I have it. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes I make learning it. Learning it is more important than what it takes to get there.
Interestingly, once I decide not to be afraid anymore, I learn the serve rapidly. It takes me a few months to master, but I learn the new technique, and the quality of my serve improves exponentially.
The same rule applies to life. To progress, we need to learn new ways of thinking and new ways of living that more nearly reflect the divine. We can’t hold onto the old and advance with the new.
Mary Baker Eddy writes, “When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 452). The “new” is the spiritual man. The “old” is the mortal.
Be quick to put on the new and leave the old behind. And be wise to not let fear hold you back. The new man of Spirit’s creating is so much better than the old man of mortal mind.
Wonderful helpful example and healing ! Thank you Evan!
Very well put, Evan, thank you, and very helpful.
In Revelation 21:5 we read – “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”.
I am slowly learning that when we acknowledge that God has given us the ability
to do this, and dismiss the suggestions that may come to us that we cannot learn something
new, and open our thoughts to understand, we find that we can. It may take us a while to
grasp it, but if we continue and persist, because we really want to learn, we will eventually
be rewarded. The teachings of Christian Science tell us that we are all able to do this – we are all equally
endowed by God with infinite capabilities and possibilities.
I must admit that when I see new things as difficult and complicated (and I am thinking particularly
of computing) I tend to get fearful that I cannot learn it , but I see that once we decide to begin, with the right frame of mind, we are on the way. The right frame of mind is that of the Christ, who tells us that with God
all things are possible.
This helpful. Thank you Evan and all. I have seen this over the years. A lot of old beliefs have been put off. But there are a lot more to release. The good thing is that I know the others will be put off. I love hymn 218
O Lifre that make the all things new, the blooming earth, the thoughts of men, thy pilgrim feet wet with thy dew, in gladness hither turn again.
Just the possibility of having new healing thoughts all the time is encouraging to me. He sends us right thoughts not wrong ones, and we can and will tune into these right thoughts.
Evan, reading this made me smile, with a sense of relief.
I love to learn new ideas and ways. But, often when presented with having to learn something that seems too difficult, and may take time to understand, such as many things computer related ( I resonated with Maggie’s comment!) I tense up and feel resistant.
Thank you for the welcome idea of being quick to put on the new and leaving the old behind, not letting fear hold us back, the new mans way, of Spirit’s creating. It is so much better than the old man or woman’s way, of mortal mind.
Fear not! Even if it takes a while to understand and perfect, the divine Mind, Love, helps us get there.
Thank you for this wisdom message today Evan. It makes me think of my husband, who seems to struggle with learning new things and considers himself to have learning challenges/differences, or what is sometimes called neurodiversity or a brain that works differently than those who are “neurotypical.”. But I try to see him as having only the One Mind of God, fully able and endowed with whatever is needed. I endeavor to not to see him as different or as being separate from this One Mind or lacking any skill or ability he needs to thrive. To think otherwise would reduce God’s children to the erroneous mortal perspective of being ruled by a material brain that can be deficient. God knows us and sees us as capable of mastering any good and right thing or activity we want to pursue, because that’s how He made us.
What you have written, Rose, and how Evan explains his progress with
tennis, reminds me of Mrs. Eddy’s definition of man in S&H pg.475, where
she says, “Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones,
and other material elements. The Scriptures inform us that man is made
in the image and likeness of God. Matter is not that likeness… Man is
idea, the image, of Love; he is not physique”.
To me, that means, to see ourselves and/or others as material parts of matter
composed together to form a physical body, is Not what “reality” is,
but a false sense. We get our intelligence, as you have said, from the One
Mind/God and when we are open to this approach to learning, the mortal
sense dream, like a mirage, disappears as being real and our beautiful
reflection of God shines through, without any mortal limitations.
Thank you Evan and all. The discussion today made me think of something I heard CS practitioner Honor Hill say in a Sentinel Watch podcast… the opposite of growing old is growing new. I’ve heard people say their brain is like a container that can only hold so much and they think it is full and that’s why they can’t learn new things. What a lie that is to be alert to and reject. As we learn from the Scientific Statement of Being (the true/actual definition of Being/being)…All is INFINITE Mind and its INFINITE manifestation. That means we each reflect God’s infinite (unlimited) capacities and abilities and we can therefore demonstrate that right now!
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/2m9pdsh5mu2?s=copylink
Thank you RobertH. That is very helpful for our churches. I have just received my on-line
edition of this week’s Sentinel, and they seem to be tackling this problem of aging people and churches
declining. I am just about to begin reading it..
When I am consciously aware that it is a choice to learn something new or resist learning something new, it’s easy for me to stop the resistance and continue persistence in learning. My problem has been when I’m not so consciously aware and I’m clinging to an old way of thinking or coping, that I have more personal attachment to thinking I know an answer to something or being unconscious about it. There is a lot of research being posted now about ways to calm the body and assure it that it is safe when words and thoughts cannot get through. It is being open to a new perspective and experience so people feel safe enough to be receptive to a new idea.
This reminds me of how I call myself and offered to hug and hold a scared child maybe stroking them or breathing slowly for them while I think, loving safe calming thoughts. And then after the child is able to hear and understand words and is able to think in words, then I can calmly start the speaking process. First, it is learning something new that they are safe before they can learn something new that uses language. Once their body feels safe then I don’t have to work hard to change their behavior because it’s natural for them to go from defensiveness to receptivity. I can be kind and patient and gentle and give myself that same grace as I help mortal mind/mortal body learn a new idea: that it is safe.
Thank you, Edith, for these useful thoughts. They reminded of the citation in this week’s lesson: …turn us like tired children to the arms of divine Love. then we begin to learn Life in divine Science. ” Science and Health p. 322
“Remove misconceptions that hinder progress” By Robert R. MacKusick. From the October 23, 2014 issue of The Christian Science Monitor:
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2014/1023/Remove-misconceptions-that-hinder-progress/?src=shared
The last sentence in Evans story, .. might be…
… Spirit, the new man…serves God
better than the old man
I’m still appreciating Maggies testimony as the Soloist in the CS Church,
I was resistant, because the old way seemed so mortally convincing that to
“Beam”… as a child of God…. to give up the musty ways when to agree just meant
idolizing false beliefs to get along with ..’people’.
Love beyond, is so more..better…the best,,the only.
and heals old wounds for everyone.
.there is no mortal history in Truth
Thank you, Evan,
At least I know that I am not alone.
et.
Tqhank you dear Evan! I’m very grateful for the very needed and helpful spiritual trests today! ♡
And I love to study all your inspiring and helpful comments, and also the various articles given here!
Thank you all so very much dear SpiritView friends ❤️
In this article, Don’t Let Fear Stop You From Learning Something New encourages readers to embrace curiosity, push past fears, and grow through challenges with confidence and an open mind.