Do you ever feel like someone else is controlling your life? Maybe it’s a boss you fear, your spouse, a neighbor, politician, business associate, coach or some other person you’re organizationally connected with but have no control over. If so, it’s a grand opportunity to learn more about God’s government of man where one person is not in control of another, but everyone is under God’s jurisdiction.
In God’s universe, man does not control man. Man reflects the intelligence, love and wisdom of God. Understanding this truth can help harmonize relationships with other people.
A boss may determine your paycheck and outline the schedule of your day, but he cannot control your thinking. That is your domain. If he affects your attitude and outlook, that is a power you’ve given him, not a power he possesses. And it’s an illusion, for in truth, he has no control over your thinking. You are always free to reflect the Mind of God independent of anything he says or does.
In the New Testament, it is recorded that Paul and Silas were severely persecuted and locked up and shackled in the inner dungeons of a prison. Physically, their plight looked hopeless. But they had learned enough about the reality of Mind that they didn’t let their thinking get imprisoned by the material outlook. They sang hymns and praises to God. They were not intimidated by their jailers. The account reads, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!” (Acts 16:25-26, NLT).
If you ever feel imprisoned by another’s actions, “Pray and sing hymns to God!” Remember the supremacy of the one Mind, and stay clear that God governs your thinking, never your neighbor.
As you stay spiritually inspired, what appears to be an imprisoning condition, can melt away before your eyes. God can accomplish spiritually what you cannot do humanly.
This is another inspiring sharing!! The last paragraph sums it up beautifully: “As you stay spiritually inspired, what appears to be an imprisoning condition, can melt away before your eyes. God can accomplish spiritually what you cannot do humanly.”
Thank you so much for these very helpful ideas, which are so timely. Material sense would obscure our relationship to our Father Mother God and entangle us in complicated human relationships, whereas the Christ reveals our unity with God and therefore our oneness with the true idea of each other, which is freedom. Thank you.
Thank you Evan!
Once again your inspired thoughts hit the mark.
We have new neighbour’s with twin girls, toddlers, who cry incessantly
I will apply appropriate Hymns to the matter, maybe 207 . . . “Heaven’s aftersmile, earths teardrops gain” . . .
. . . and know “God can accomplish spiritually what you cannot do humanly”
Thank you, Evan! A perfect reminder.
When an anthropologist visits a remote village, she knows the inhabitants might praise her or vilify her. She will take careful note of their attitudes, but she won’t take them personally or let them interfere with her work. Her work is important because she is laying the groundwork for respectful relations and mutual learning in a multicultural world.
Knowing our true identity as God’s beloved is the ultimate distraction-protection. The world doesn’t tell us who we are, so we are free to focus on spiritual understanding.
Wow! Beautiful! Perfect! An answer to prayer! So Grateful! Thank you Evan for all the good you are doing!
Thank you, Evan and all SpirtView neighbors in
this universal sharing of good. Having had neighbors
that were a challenge in the past, and with the house
next door for sale, these thoughts are very helpful,
as are all the topics that always are so relevant.
Evan: Thanks for this wonderful message. I want to share it with the Bible class in prison today, but could not print it because the page showed only half the words (vertically). Can you send it to me so that I can print it?
Sallie,
SpiritView is not an alt-click protected site, so you can copy & paste blog content into any Microsoft program or google doc. Another option is to copy & paste into a new email and use the “print as memo” feature.
A very important thought, “God can accomplish Spiritually what you cannot do humanly.” We aligning our thinking to divine principle and not the other way around. Thank you, Evan for this enlightening thought.
Susan Fortune With preparing to move and people to contact. These ideas keep me on ttrack
As Jesus said with powerful conviction, “You could have no power over me unless given to you of God!” I have used this in many situations where the false suggestion was saying someone or something had control over me or someone else other than God. The first time it came to me was a seemingly insurmountable work experience that shook me to my core and negatively affected many people. I thought my only option was to quit, but this thought came, calmed me and gave me strength in God. A few months later the situation was overturned much higher up in the organization. It was a powerful demonstration for me.
Good example!
As the Daily Prayer says, Let the reign of divine Lif,e, Truth and Love be established in me. When even one in a relationship establishes their self on this divine basis the relationship is more harmonious and effective. When all understand their divine basis the relationship is solid, sure, harmonious and effective — a pure joy.
Thank you, Evan, for this reminder.
Thanks, Evan, for another very thoughtful message. I frequently sing hymns silently to my myself under many situation which may be stressful and when I have difficulty sleeping. I am every grateful for our hymnal.
P.S. drop the “y” after ever. Sorry.
I have found that one of our MANY pamphlets available, one of which is, “God Governs”, Those articles are so helpful, especially today.
So many good thoughts, Thankyou all!
We have moved many times, and thus have lived in many different states, neighborhoods and homes. When we have been faced with neighbors that presented relationship challenges, prayer has been the only solution. It has helped me a lot to know that we “live and move and have our being in God.”, in eternal, everpresent Love and harmony. When I can really feel God’s presence, and know that He alone governs, a sense of peace takes over my consciousness.
I do sometimes have to remind myself that as God’s perfect child, I don’t react, I reflect.
Once faced with a new neighbor at my door who was visibly angry and ready to punch me, the angel thought cane to me that the only way to get through this situation was to love. I stopped trying to defend myself, which seemed to causing a more intense angry reaction from her, and listened quietly to her complaints. When she was done, I asked her lovingly if I could speak. I was led to clear up the misunderstandings in a gentle way, and she apologized. We shook hands in a spirit of sisterly love. Another situation was noisy young adult neighbors who would be in their hot tub in the wee hours of the morning, playing their radio and being very loud. It proved fruitless calling the police, and for other neighbors and I to ask them to please stop this activity. I must admit, at this point I was beginning to react! But then a friend reminded me of Mrs. Eddy’s statement- “error excludes itself from harmony.” Hmmm. This was intriguing to me so I I pondered it carefully. Since we truly live in God, in perfect harmony, which fills all space, there can be no evidence of error, or disharmony present, as it is naturally excluded. This was great! I was knowing that any suggestion of error would automatically vanish into its native nothingness in the presence of God’s eternal harmony. I really let this sink in. Things began to quiet down a little next door, and shortly thereafter, the owners of that house unexpectedly decided to move in, thus the partying folks moved out and harmony reigned.
I know this is long, but here’s Just one more thought I’d like to share. When neighbors, or others, have been very rude and unkind in their thoughts, words and actions, it has helped me to not react, by praying for them instead. I pray to know they are truly my brothers and sisters, and I ask God to bless them. I ask God to give them understanding, to help them feel His love and peace and joy, and whatever else comes to me. Now I know in Truth they already have these qualities, but this action of asking God to bless them, naturally turns my thought away from one of anger or reaction, to love and goodwill, to affirming our inherent relationship as God’s beloved children, dwelling together in peace and harmony. I have seen this prayer help to melt away the false picture of discordant interactions and restore brotherly kindnesses, and I am grateful.
Thanks for sharing Diane! Wonderful stories you have to share…
Thankyou Evan! I am truly enjoying being a part of the SpiritView family- thank you for the time and prayerful effort you give to this Blog. It is a blessing to all!
I love the “error excludes itself from harmony” reference from pg 537 of S&H. Thanks for sharing that!
than you Brian, that passage from S&H is very helpful, love it too!
Thank you so very much Diane for your great testimonies. While I was reading your gorgeous comment I became aware that too often I still react negatively and if it is just only in my thinking.
I stand in awe before your wonderful testimonies, specially how you prayed and reacted with such christly Love. I can learn a lot from it!
Am so thankful too for being a part of this interesting and loving SpiritView family!
Thank you very much again Evan, for today’s topic that only God governs me and not my neighbor.
Sometimes even when I come from my branchchurch, I battle with thoughts not coming from God ,and which seem to hold me in bondage. One evening at home suddenly it became very clear to me that not my boss of the company I worked for, but only God is my Boss for ever and ever. That freed me so much, and I was very happy. In CS we learn that indeed only God governs everything and all, how else could it be since God created a l l in his image and likeness and saw that it was very good.
Ok, I hope my comment fit a bit into today’s topic.
Thank you, Uta, for your kind words. We all seem to have lots of opportunities to strive to follow our Master’s instruction in his Sermon on the Mount- especially Matthew 5: 44-
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
We all truly have the God given ability to let the light of Christ shine through us, so onward and upward!
I really needed this too! THANK YOU!
One of the “special” experiences in my life that proved the power of divine Love was when my son was a year old, and I started back to school to obtain my teaching credential. We lived on a small cul-de-sac of seven houses, and one of my neighbors said she’d love to babysit my son for me. However, when she heard that we were students of Christian Science her whole attitude changed. She even spoken to the new neighbors across the street from her about us, and when I drove in the cul-de-sac, they all would turn their backs on me. It was hurtful, and I was resentful of their behavior. However, I knew I had to correct my thought, and see them as God’s loving children. I decided this was not the time to return to school as I really wanted to be with our baby, but the behavior with the neighbors didn’t change. One day I was in our carport and the neighbor who had instigated this behavior walked by. The words came out of my mouth, “Hi, M….” (I had no plans to speak to her.) Immediately she responded lovingly and that was the end of it. In fact when her family moved to Europe, not only did we buy some of their furniture, we were given some lovely decorative items for the house. There was only love expressed! It proved to me that God is the only controller. Our job is to watch what we are accepting into our thinking.
Very lovely, thank you Daphne !
Thank you Evan, these ideas have given me the means to work out in CS what is going on here with a neighbour that persists in breaking the law by rentng our her house to people that are noisy who also overcrowd the house with visitors and friends.
I realize now that I need to correct my own thinking in order to resolve this.