A man was complaining to me about a series of bad things happening in his life, and how he couldn’t help but think that more bad things happening was all his future had in store for him.
I retorted, “You’re headed to heaven, not to hell!”
He stopped talking. He let the point of my comment sink in and then laughed out loud. “I like that outlook a whole lot better!”
I had to laugh too. It had caught me by surprise when it came out of my mouth, but seriously. How often have you let mortal mind outline an ugly path in front of you as if you were headed to a place of misery instead of to a place of harmony and peace? Basically, it comes down to answering the question, “Do you see yourself headed to heaven or to hell?” Hell standing for a place of misery and suffering.
Heaven is home with God. It’s our eternal resting place with Truth and Love, where harmony reigns, and evil is nowhere to be found. Hell is not a real place where anyone ends up. It’s a sinful miserable way of thinking that makes one feel separated from heaven. And it’s dissolved with spiritual mindedness.
As we put on the Mind of Christ, part with sin, and live a holy life, we find heaven within. We find our eternal peaceful place with God.
It’s inevitable that we find heaven as home because we are children of God. And children of God live with their Father/Mother in their common home of Love. This outlook should dominate our mental horizon.
If you want to live happier and healthier, be sure you see heaven in front of you, not hell. Heaven is a much happier place to be.
The last verse in Mother’s Evening Prayer,.speaks somewhat to this issue.
I have leaned on this whole Hymn (207) prayerfully, countless times, often puzzling over the 2nd last line.
One day I caught a glimpse of what it may mean. When a parent tenderly comforts a distressed child, they will often smile as the tears subside, “there, feeling better now”? Heading to heaven always feels better.
My intuition from years ago felt like an answer and has seemed appropriate ever since.
MOTHER’S EVENING PRAYER
MARY BAKER EDDY
O gentle presence, peace and joy and power;
O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour,
Thou Love that guards the nestling’s faltering flight! Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight.
Love is our refuge; only with mine eye
Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:
His habitation high is here, and nigh,
His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.
O make me glad for every scalding tear,
For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!
Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear
No ill,—since God is good, and loss is gain.
Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;
In that sweet secret of the narrow way,
Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:
“Lo, I am with you alway,”—watch and pray.
No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain;
No night drops down upon the troubled breast, When heaven’s aftersmile earth’s tear-drops gain, And mother finds her home and heav’nly rest.
Such a wonderful song and prayer upon which all of us can rely. Thank you, Shelagh for positng.
Thank you for your comments Shelagh, I had wondered about that too. I’ve also been a bit puzzled by these lines:
“O make me glad for every scalding tear,
For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain…..loss is gain.”
I think it may mean that we ask God to show us the spiritual reality continuing goodness underneath things that materially may seem to make us feel hurt, sad, let down, in a state of loss. Any thoughts?
I agree with you Rose.
I have also thought, in those times of “scalding tears” and “hopes deferred” etc, the “ingratitude, disdain”; the light which we use to find our path through the valley of trial, is prayer.
Any challenge is actually an opportunity to shine and ultimately gratitude evolves.
Easier said than felt sometimes!
I think these lines relate to other insights on her own and our spiritual growth, such as “our disappointments and ceaseless woes turn us, like tired children, to the arms of divine Love.” (not looking the exact quotes up in Concord just now). There are many such statements emphasizing how loss of human peace can stir in us a deeper desire to seek and experience the joy and peace of Christ. And how self
satisfaction in a pleasant material life can impede spiritual growth.
Anything we can lose we never want! — was never ours to begin with! As man What we can lose are all those things that harm us, like material dependencies, personal will, personal desires, others’ admiration that tempt us to think we have power to do anything. Losing them is indeed great gain in proofs of God’s care.
All power is of God. All belongs to God. “All that I have is Thine.”
What God gives us — wisdom, purity, affection, patience, fearlessness, the universe — alway, always makes us glad and can never, ever be lost.
Thank you Diane, an excellent and very helpful insight. Makes perfect sense the way you state it.
Thank you Evan and Shelagh. Inspired loving thoughts. xx
Yes, what came to me, Shelagh, from your inspiration, ,
from Mrs. Eddy’s hymn was :
• “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity “
And I found this interpretation:-
“•In a sermon based on Deuteronomy 32:36, C.H. Spurgeon explained that when a person comes to the end of their own abilities, it is the beginning of God’s work in their life. It is a time when someone who has tried to save themselves through their own actions realizes their own inadequacy and turns to God.”
This is when we are headed for heaven, isn’t it – by turning away from the miseries that seem to assail
us, and letting the Christ light our way out of it all.
Yes Maggie, thank you for this!
Love this Maggie! Last night I was listening to a Sentinel Watch by Mark Swinney and he said something along the lines of, it’s ok to realize that you can’t do it on your own, that you’ve tried and failed, because now is the time to look to God. To turn to God. It’s so reassuring.
Thanks to everyone for your comments. ❣️
“Heaven and hell” from the August 19, 1999 issue of The Christian Science Sentinel:
https://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0819/p23s1.html/?src=shared
“Heaven is here” by Susan Tish. From the February 23, 2015 issue of The Christian Science Monitor:
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2015/0223/Heaven-is-here/?src=shared
Not to inundate, but so many good articles on this topic. Thank you Evan. If you scroll down to the bottom of the article above, under “Related stories”, there is an article called “Love’s promise”. It’s by Sally House Heinsohn, from the October 13, 2014 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. It gives a good example of the topic.
Dear J, thank you for both articles. They are very good. But I found the article by Susan Tish more simple to read. And then I looked for the article “Love’s promise” by Sally Heinsohn under related storirs, and I couldn’t find Sally’s article.
Dear Evan, thank you very much for your comforting and healing today’s SpiritView! It’s so inspiring that I must study it more often. For me, the most clear Truth we learn in Christian Science is, that the kingdom of heaven is within us. And the most comforting and very loving Truth you gave us is: “Heaven is Home with God” and. “It’s inevitable that we find heaven as home as we are children of God . And children of God live with their Father-Mother in their common home of Love.” Great!!!
Thank you Evan ! And thank you God for such a wonderful and healthy home!
I also thank Shelagh from Scotland for her comment on Mrs. Eddy’s poem MOTHER’S EVENING PRAYER. Now I read that hymn more intensively and therefore understood it more in depth!
I’m very happy to receive Evan’s so insightful healing spiritual views and for all the lively and inspiring comments! ❤️
Thanks J for recommending the article ‘Love’s Promise.’ I found it as you mentioned, and it’s very inspiring Here’s the link:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/12dstwnsryi
I noticed Evan used the word ‘inevitable’ in today’s post, “It’s inevitable that we find heaven as home because we are children of God.” This article also used it in a similar way,
“….Christian Science has taught me that once our hearts are open to the fact that God, good, reigns, then it is inevitable that our experience will reflect this understanding. We don’t need to know how this will happen. If we simply claim what is good and true, we can trust God to take care of the rest.”
Very comforting.
Thanks so much Rose for adding the link to the article!
Hi dear.Rose, thanks for the link to the article “Loves Promise”. But sorry, I couldn’t find it among the 4 articles under “Related Stories” on the bottom of anove Monitor article by Susan Tish “Heaven is here”. It’s a lovely article.
Yes Rose, what Evan wrote “it’s inevitable to find Heaven as home because we are children of God” is utmost comforting to me, too! Inevitable means, one cannot else as God’s Child but find heaven as Home with his spritual Creator. In this week’s lesson we have the title “God, the only cause and the only creator”. So we live and move and have our being (heavenly home) in God, devine Love, for sure – how wonderful.
Have a great week Rose and all! ❤️
Thank you, Evan, for your quick and clear thinking and sense of humor. This is a perfect and very useful reminder and message. Where are we dwelling mentally?! Be “At-One-Ment”.
In the Message, the writer translates the Beatitude in the King James
Bible “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” as “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”
I think the hymn passage is trying to convey that idea. That trials turn us to God wholeheartedly, especially if we feel there is no human solution.
I appreciate the post, Evan. Its what I needed today.
Love to you all.
This is what was very helpful today Evan – Thank you all for your helping and healing comments. I too question why falling seem to repeat even though I declare the truth immediately and get up and go forward with whatever activity is at hand. If there seems to be fallout( ) I continue to know the truth until the healing comes. But the question keeps coming Why? There are a lot of helpful answers here. Thank you and love to everyone.
I love where you said that “if you want to live happier and healthier, be sure you see heaven in front of you, not hell.””
What inspiriation!! Love the simplicity and truth✨️ of your statement! ‘You’re headed to heaven, not to hell!’
How comforting to know that our real home is in heaven with God. Thank you for this wonderful message.
lol…..right on, Evan!