If you’re going through hell, keep going.
~ Winston Churchill
With God, there is no hell, but in the human experience, it might sometimes feel like one exists. If so, resist the temptation to get stuck in a false sensation. Keep moving. Keep progressing. Keep growing spiritually and move on out to the goodness of God which is always present to bless, comfort and heal.
Thank you. Recently, the start of my day seemed to be presented with many impositions and limitations. I had been reading and studying hymn 149.
In Heavenly Love abiding, no change my heart shall fear; And safe is such confiding, For nothing changes here. The storm may roar without me, My heart may low be laid; But God is round about me, And can I be dismayed?
Wherever He may guide me, No want shall turn me back; My Shepherd is beside me, And nothing can I lack. His wisdom ever wake to, His sight is never dim; He knows the way He takes, And I will walk with Him.
Green pastures are before me, Which yet I have not seen; Bright skies will soon be o’er me, Where darkest clouds have been. My hope I cannot measure , My path in life is free; My Father has my treasure and He will walk with me.
I silently let different parts of this hymn guide me throughout the day and each limit was filled and it was a very good day.
I was very grateful. Christian Science shows us how to ‘walk through” these challenges untouched..
Hi Debbie, thank you very much indeed writing the whole hymn 149 here! It is very helpful also for me, and I too will let these comforting truthwords accompany me throughout this day!
Thank you dearly, Evan for your comfort in your today’s SpiritView! Yes, I will move on to the Goodnessen of our everpresent God!
Hymn 148 has been a favorite of mine forever. My mother taught it to my sister and I when we were young so it has been “go to” hymn whenever I need guidance! Christian Science is always my “backbone” !
Beautiful hymn.❣️
Dear Uta, is “Goodnessen” a German word that means God’s Goodness? If so, thanks for the new (to me!) word! Joy & Peace 🙂
No dear Katherine, it’s just a writing mistake. I meant … the goodness of God …
However Uta, thank you for brightening my day with the “new word”. Essen translates “to eat” right?, in the German language, which caught my eye, bringing to my attention, the words of the hymn were just made to taste better, Laughed aloud after singing the hymn, then finding the comment about the words to the hymn. Singing made everything better, with humor! Danke . . . .
Love the hymns too! Much to be grateful for.
Seemingly going through a “hell” right now, and when I woke up this morning this hymn came to me…. I know all my needs are already met.. For me as well this hymn has been “my go to as well…
I am so grateful for Christian Science.. I am 80 years old, still hale and hearty, still working in our business and this Truth has brought me through everything imaginable n “life “ victorious ..
“My hope I cannot measure , my path in life is free, my Father has my treasure and He will walk with me”.
Acts of faith are also acts of courage.
So good Josef, thank you!
Oh yes … that would describe exactly what going through being “grounded”
mortally is. It is like being a tethered bird with clipped wings, seeing wild birds
fly in their glory. Having restrictions all of life can seem very challenging, but even
more so when mortal mind Seems to shut down our power, making us miserable
in not being able to express ourselves in Spirit and Truth. Not our own doing.
mortal mind restricts, not the One and Only Mind.
Divine Love seems to be elusive under these limitations or withholdings and it
does seem very much like a hell. In a world that seems ever more restrictive
with our God-given freedoms of expression being chipped away in so many ways,
with lies of mortal mind seeming to be prevalent, trying to take away our real and
best joys in life – we need to be steadfast in Knowing that God is in charge, not
mortals. It is not “us” that is holding back our spirit and natural desire to share,
spiritually the way we normally would. It is an error of restrictive joy … that
physical beliefs, age, limitations of how or what we can think or say – all inhibitors
of our growth spiritually, when we are unable to reflect Kindness with Kindness.
But God is always and in all ways in control and nothing can stop divine goodness
from taking place, despite what the mortal belief of hell Seems to be..
Dear Carol,
You are right that nothing can stop divine goodness from taking place, because every restrictive claim of moral mind or animal magnetism IS nothing! As God’s individual expressions we are free, unlimited, and unfettered. We live and move and have our being in God. We are governed and animated by divine Principle, Love, – controlled by God’s laws of harmony and divine perfection.
Mary Baker Eddy says in Misc. Writings page 134, “Error is only fermenting, and it’s heat hissing at the “still small voice” of Truth, but it can neither silence nor disarm God’s voice. Spiritual wickedness is standing in high places; but, blind to it’s own fate, it will tumble into the bottomless.”
Thank you Linda, I love the quote you gave from Misc Writings, I don’t remember seeing that one before. “Error fermenting”….”its heat hissing at the still small voice of Truth.”
A lot of hissing and noise with no substance, just like a bully. “It can neither silence nor disarm God’s voice ….and will tumble into the bottomless.” Powerful.
Thank you Evan for the Churchhill quote, I’ve seen it before and always liked it. We can feel like we’re in hell when we seem to get mesmerized by the loud “hissing” of mortal mind and it begins to seem real. When I’ve experienced that (usually after I’ve seen through it and regained my peace) I’ve said to myself, “that is what hell is.” A big scary nothing. As you say above we can, “…move on out to the goodness of God which is always present to bless, comfort and heal.”
Thank you, dear Linda, for these uplifting and soothing declarations of Truth.
Thank you, too, dear Rose. Such a feeling of divine Love’s presence is
here right now and Hymn #144 came to thought,
“In atmosphere of Love divine, We live, and move, and breathe; Though
mortal eyes may see it not, ‘Tis sense that would deceive.
The mortal sense we must destroy, If we would bring to light The wonders
of eternal Mind, Where sense is lost in sight.
For God, immortal Principle, Is with us everywhere; He holds us perfect
in His love, And we His image bear”.
Just had to share this overwhelming feeling of Peace right now.
Wonderful inspiration. Thank you Evan and all!
Thank you, Evan and all!
Interestingly, a reader shared the below about the quote I shared above:
While that quote has been attributed to Churchill, it may have come from a Christian Scientist lecturer and teacher John Randall Dunn research indicates. The Churchill Society states:
‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’ We have yet to see any correct attribution of this quote that frequently appears on the Internet and printed on motivation posters. This fake quote is not a phrase that is contained anywhere in the canon of Winston Churchill’s written or spoken words.
The Quote Investigator attributed it to John Randall Dunn first writing something close to it – here’s what they wrote (they research origins of quotes):
This adage is difficult to trace because of the malleability of its expression. The earliest evidence located by QI appeared in a religious context in the October 30, 1943 issue of the “Christian Science Sentinel” journal of Boston, Massachusetts. The saying was presented in dialog form. Boldface has been added to excerpts:[3]
Someone once asked a man how he was. He replied, “I’m going through hell!” Said his friend: “Well, keep on going. That is no place to stop!” If you seem to be going through the deep waters of physical anguish and cannot for the moment seem to gain the understanding which binds the strong man, keep on going—keep on clinging to Truth, and hear again the comforting, strengthening message, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” God, divine Love, is eternally sustaining His child, and will “bind the power of pain” as surely as the summer sun will melt the stubborn frost.
The passage above was written by a Christian Science lecturer and editor named John Randall Dunn, but the dialog was attributed to an unnamed man and his anonymous friend.
The saying appeared again in the pages of the “Christian Science Sentinel” in July 1969 in an article by J. Woodruff Smith. He also credited the dialog to anonymous individuals:[4]
A man who was going through deep waters of fear called a Christian Science practitioner. In anguish he cried, “Oh, you don’t know what I’m going through. I’m just going through hell.” With vigor his helper replied, “That’s no place to stop. Keep going.” There was a short silence. Then a ripple of amusement followed by a wave of laughter as the mesmerism burst.
Thanks very much Evan for sharing this information about the actual origin of today’s quote. Fascinating. When you think about it, it’s not really surprising that it was CSists who first put forth this idea. Loved reading the end where the pratitioner phrased it in a humorous way that broke through the mesmerism.
Thank you so very much for what you have written, dear Linda (Santa Barbara).
It is very comforting and True. Mrs. Eddy’s choice of words in using “hissing” reminds
me of the snake or serpent in Genesis – the tempter of Good And evill. In the Glossary
of S & H, she describes the serpent as being “Subtlety; a lie; the opposite of Truth,
named error; the first statement of mythology and idolatry; the belief in more than
one God; animal magnetism; the first lie of limitation; finite; the first claim that there
is an opposite of Spirit, or good, termed matter, or evil; the first delusion that error
exists as fact; the first claim that sin, sickness and death are the realities of life. The
first audible claim that God was not omnipotent and that there was another power,
named evil, which was as real and eternal as God, good.”
Thank you Evan and all for your kind words of encouragement, to help triumph
over the challenges of mortal mind’s barriers.
“Christian Science and their Belief in Hell”: interview with Dr. Carlos Vazquez and Dr. Don Ingwerson (Don Ingwerson = Media & Record Legislation and Committee on Publication for CS church & National Superintendent of the Year for America)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KivnlR8L1WA
Thanks a lot, dear “J”. It’s a wonderful talk. It’s more about Spirituality than hell. And it is inspiring to listen to this CS talk!♡
CSists- now there’s a word!
Thank you dear ones,- Rose and Angel, for your loving comments. Angel, your reference to Eddy’s definition of serpent in the Glossary of Science and Health is a powerful explication of the claim that there are two opposing powers,- and that evil is as real as good.
How grateful we are that through her life example and written words, Mrs. Eddy exposed as powerless this lying, “hissing” serpent,-mortal mind. She writes on page 567, “That false claim– that ancient belief, that old serpent whose name is devil (evil), claiming that there is intelligence in matter either to benefit or to injure men — is pure delusion, the red dragon; and it is cast out by Christ, Truth, the spiritual idea, and so proved to be powerless.”
Thank you to all the wonderful CS’ists who have written on this topic!! and the “Goodnessen” of our God! Love you all!