It’s inspiring to understand that the promise behind Jesus Christ’s command to “Love your enemy,” (Matthew 5:44) is to get such a clear sense of omnipresent, omnipotent Love, that what you thought was an enemy, is not the threat it appeared to be.
In the omnipresence of Love, there is nothing to fear, no sensation of danger. There is only the allness of God’s love. No enemy.
All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 468:10–11)
❤️❤️
Mary Baker Eddy, I her prose work entitled “Love Your Enemies,” wrote that “Love thine enemies” is equivalent to, “Thou hast no enemies.” She asserted that who we perceive as enemies are really our greatest friends because they help us to grow in love more than those we perceive as friends. So, to love your enemies is to love growing in love of God and neighbor.
One lecture I went to used the illustration of going to a park, walking with very little light, and believing he saw a bear in the path, but when a light was shown, it was only a tree stump. So, what he thought to be a threat was not.
I love the example Jesus gave on the cross saying “Father forgive them they know not what they do.” This has been helpful when I was tempted to think someone had a unkind motive toward me..
My cross to bear was to always see through the lie of unkindness and hate and witness to Love’s reality of absolute goodness in others.
Evan’s use of the word omnipotent,
brought this to thought. Thanks, Evan,
and everyone sharing.
NO ENEMIES
Now
Omnipotent
Eternal
Newness
Every
Moment
Inside
Everyone
Sings
Love this so much.. Thank you.
“Impersonalize evil—what does that mean?” Jesus rebuked evil. But his rebuke was not directed at a person. By Russell Luerssen. From the August 1999 issue of The Christian Science Journal:
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/16froi4lf2c?s=copylink
Thank you J for this wonderful article! Definitely needed especially in praying for government.
Thank you J once again for your time and care in sharing these articles. Look forward to reading it later in a quiet moment. I like the statement you mentioned that Jesus’ rebuke was not directed at a person. When we get that all-encompassing feeling or experience of Love (God) we recognize that the problem was not with any individual, just a wrong understanding of our ongoing spiritual reality and what is possible and not possible in that reality.
Also wanted to thank Cheryl for recommending (on SV 2/13/25) the lecture by Chestnut Booth C.S. given at the Willows Community annual meeting. Finally had a chance to listen last night, it is excellent. She talks a lot about how we never have to give our consent to anything unlike God. Error has no power without our consent.
Here’s a link: thewillowscommunity.org
Her talk starts at about the 30 minute mark in the video.
Such enemy-free thoughts. Thank you everyone. From the very helpful
article, Thank you dear J – a belief in an enemy is a belief that there is an
opposite intelligence to God.
(Three quotes that I’ve copied from my journal) :
“A problem [thought of an enemy] can be dropped so easily if you
understand that it is you holding the problem [enemy], not the problem
[enemy] holding you” – Osho
“Never blame anyone in your life. Good people give you happiness.
Bad people give you experience. The worst people give you a lesson.
And the best people give you memories.” [But as J’s article states, not
to personalize evil, so there really are no “bad” or “worst” persons].
“Don’t carry your mistakes [enemy thoughts] around with you. Instead,
place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones to
rise above them.” – Author unknown
Beautiful thoughts to share! Thank you! I also like to remember that there are no backward steps in Science…the DIVINE Mind knows only expansion, true harmonious expression of the Allness that is God and progress.
Excellent quotes Carol – thank you for sharing them with us.
When praying for the world, I sometimes pray by beginning
with words like “Let the light of Truth and Love pour forth over all the earth
and wash away all that is unlovely. etc. ” I like the idea of washing
away all unloving and hateful thoughts that may present themselves to me as my
thoughts about others, with the solution of Truth and Love. It is a very powerful solution
which we all have for immediate use when we need it.
I haven’t read the article yet, but intend to do so.
Thank you, Maggie. A lot of the helpful thoughts I have copied down are
not CS, per se , but can be interpreted, as seen through a spiritual focus
and thus spiritually helpful, as well. I like what you have written about
letting the light of Truth and Love pour over all the earth and wash away
all that is unlovely. A great way of cleansing thought. Thank you.
What an incredibly rich and beautiful SpiritView today
Wonderful, thoughtful ideas to ponder throughout our day.
Thanking others, I want to thank Cheryl as well for sharing. The Willows’ talk given by Chestnut Booth. It was absolutely marvelous.
And J shared a beautiful lecture that I’ve been reading ever since called “Christian Science: the light by which we see”. It has many many wonderful ideas, but I wanted to share this little story from it.:
“A little girl was saying her prayers one night and was giving God quite a list of those whom she wanted Him to bless, including her parents, relations, dolls, pets, and so on, and she concluded “and please, God, bless all those I love. “And then she added, “oh, and you’d better bless all the others too, in case I get friendly with them one day.“
From the mouths of babes!
Thank you well and all and bless you, everyone!
Dr.Martin Luther King had a wonderful sermon on loving your enemies; he said,
“You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long.”
Hi Annie….where can I find the lecture you mentioned?
Thank you!
I hope you saw my reply above
SpiritView on 2-12-25
Love