“We should master fear, instead of cultivating it.”
~ Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 197
There’s a lot of fear going around these days about the spread of a virus. To stay healthy, it’s wise to master that fear and keep it from gaining a foothold in thought.
There’s a tendency among many to talk up the fear; to dwell on it, get mesmerized by it, expand on it, and become a pawn to it. It’s better to shut the fear down.
To master fear is to master disease, for fear is what spreads disease.
We don’t have to be afraid of fear. It’s not a real power that controls us. It goes away with understanding of spiritual reality.
Rather than focus on fear, focus on the reality of God’s omnipotence and omnipresence. The truth about God knocks out fear, prevents disease, and keeps one healthy and strong.
Don’t cultivate fear. Master it!!
The Motto of my old Army Parachute Training School was “Knowledge Dispels Fear”.
The emphasis was always on the knowledge, or understanding, and never the fear.
Love this TonyT – thank you!
Thank you Evan! It really seems like there are so many things to fear these days… it can become overwhelming! This post is exactly what I needed to read and work hard to focus on!
Thank you TonyT – Both for your service and for sharing a truly great motto!
Fear is nothing! Is is only False Evidence Appearing Real = fear! When we reject the fear and turn completely to what our Farther-Mother God is imparting to us, the fear disappears and we are free. Go forth fearless and free— as noted in a verse from Hymn 64 in the CS Hymnal, “The way leads upward and its goal draws nearer, Thought soars enraptured, fetterless and free;” To be free and not fearful is to be at one with divine Mind knowing that the Comforter is always at hand to lift us up and above the din of dire predictions, descriptions and fearmongering. We can rise above the “selling of sickness” and be free. Have a blessed day everyone and soar above the din of mortal mind predictions. A virus has no intelligence to go any where or do anything to anyone. Be fearless today and every day.
Fear also stands for “Father’s everlasting arms round” us.
Oh I love that counter-fact of FEAR — “Father’s Everlasting Arms ‘Round” us/me..
This sure met my need today as I suspect it helps many others. Well meaning friends and loved ones are constantly pressuring me to get the vaccine. I try and be kind but must admit they are unknowingly planting a seed of fear regarding the disease. I am grateful to have Chrstian Science in my life and thank you Evan for these timely and healing blogs and of course to the many commenters.
We all do what we are led to do. I had the vaccine not to protect myself but to help others feel comfortable around me. Conversations with family and friends are relaxed and there is almost zero discussion of the virus.
As we daily lean on God’s infinite omnipotence and omnipresence, we are consciously and constantly being vaccinated and protected with the irreversible and unstoppable spiritual laws of perfect health and harmony. Perfect Love casts out fear. All must be well!!
It’s unfortunate that it has become a political issue rather than a medical or religious issue. As of October, in my country you will need proof of vaccination to take a plane, train or ship. Although not yet in my province you need it for restaurants theatres concerts etc. In the Province next door. Many sports events like football, require proof of vaccination to attend. I have not taken shots for over 40 years. Do I never want to travel again? To go to my home Province and never eat out? Every one has to make their own choice. To me the practical reality overcomes the religious objection. ( Just a perspective from another country.).
A statement that came to me when I was feeling anxious and erased my fears is this:
Nothing can be implanted in me that God hasn’t formed.
Thank you Evelyn, this calms my thought, realizing and KNOWING that “Nothing can be implanted in me that God hasn’t formed.” Including an invasive harmful (added on) crude, asking to be invited in. NO THANKS, stay away, is my reply!
Thank you for a most beautiful picture that speaks volumes to the word TRUST❣️
I often focus on the word trust when the error of fear tries to sneak into my thought.
The way I stop feeding and feeling fear Is to feel nourished by entering nurture feel and express its opposite: truth, gratitude, love. When I was a storytelling artist in the schools I would tell the children if they want to be scared or tell a scary story they have to imagine and believe a scary story that’s not true, and if they don’t want to be scared they simply have to know something that is true and safe. They could simply focus on 2+2 = 4 and then they have no time and attention or energy left to imagine a bully playground. Or they could know the truth of their needs and their values and act consistent with that. To put it simply, we can only have one and not both: love or fear. I choose love. Story about a Native American grandfather pointing out to his grandchild a white wolf and a black wolf fighting below the cliff on which they stood, and The elder told him that is like the thoughts and motives in our mind. The child asked which one will win? The Wiseman said the one we feed. If we want fear to grow we doom scroll on the Internet and gossip and worry and fret and ruminate repeating scary stories to ourselves and others and we hang out around TV shows or computer games or conversations in which we could pick up their fear. If we don’t want to act out of fear and perpetuate fear we feed love and gratitude, Seeking and seeing good in nature and the laws of the universe and each other and our innate ability to think and act rightly. We proactively practice grateful trusting love and trust me their Ness and our own compassion for self and others. We grow love and peace so that it becomes contagious confidence and compassion. Love becomes the truth of our experience, so there’s no interest or vulnerability to scary lies. The truth that helps me be free of fear-full imaginations about the past or the future, is the grateful focus on the present reality and truth. I might help a child or a patient focus on something beautiful in nature or just breathing or just listing gratitude.
Wonderful comments. Thank you Edith.
Edith this is so helpful at many levels! Thank you so much !!
Thank you Evelyn! Worldly pleasures require us to obey worldly means.
Hymn 267:
Our God is All-in-All,
His children cannot fear;
See baseless evil fall,
And know that God is here.
FEAR: Forgetting Eternal Authorship Reigns!
Thank you for reminding us of this hymn – “baseless evil” it is and thus must “fall.”
Thank you also for sharing your “interpretation” of Fear.
You’re welcome Brigitte. The interpretation of Fear came from Christie Hanzlik C.S. in one of her Metaphysical articles in either 2020 or 2021 where she refers to Authorship. I tried finding it, but couldn’t. So sorry. https://cedarscamps.org/
Wrote last evening. Tried to post but it did
not attach. Hope it does go through twice.
MOUR ABIDING PLACE IS WITH GOD
It probably borders on the obscene to write a poem on home when
so many around the world are displaced for various reasons
I was looking at one of the magazines a friend shared with me
This one was Architectural Digest, and a sentence popped out
“ … crafts a tranquil home that gathers strength from the poetry
of light and space.”
Poetry, literary work in which special intensity is given to the
expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style
and rhythm
Home. The place where one lives permanently, not sure about
the permanently part, but it works for this poem
Home in the purest form, is consciousness, God filled
We take our consciousness with us, our consciousness is us, so,
is our consciousness tranquil, gathering strength from the poetry
of light and space
Tranquil, strength, light, space, distinctive style and rhythm, does
our consciousness reflect these God qualities
Our true home, consciousness, is God filled … our permanent
residence, His divine kingdom
Move in date, we are already there
Melissa Baker
Lovely !
Interesting definitions of fear.
Another
False evidence appearing. Real.
Here is one for Trust
True reliance under sustaining Truth
Lovely day here
“there is no fear in Love”:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/24tz8gb369m?s=e
Fear is faith in the truth of evil. Just as faith is the substance of things hoped for, (a faith in the truth of good) it’s also the substance of things NOT hoped for. In other words, it’s ALL thought, manifested. But faith in evil is faith in nothingness, illusion. God is ALL. Dire images of evil are pure fantasy manifesting itself on the body thought. Whether mortal eyes view a horror film, the 10 o’clock news or some sick self in a mirror, the heart will beat faster, the face will flush and contort and the stomach clench. But the mortal senses are seeing and feeling illusion!
Jesus’ perfect Love , knowing its all-presence and power in all time and space, eliminated all fear in a patient’s thought along with every awful embodiment of that fear, revealing the ever-present perfect man. Absolute faith in God, good is complete health, all substance good and healthy. There’s a great calm,.
Thank you for this topic Evan. Especially appreciated, “We don’t have to be afraid of fear. It’s not a real power that controls us. It goes away with understanding of spiritual reality.”
I have to admit that sometimes fear does feel like a real power to me and I actually seem to fear fear. At times it is discouraging because I think that with my CS studies I should not be so seemingly easily fooled by error anymore.
Didn’t President Franklin Roosevelt say “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” I think Mrs. Eddy would have agreed. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7) If God didn’t give it to me, I can’t have it. Thank you, this blog and all of you are a comfort and support to me and I am grateful.
Dear Rose and dear all, on JSH-online, under the heading “A healing response to the global pandemic”, one of the topics is “Overcoming fear”. Under this topic, there are several articles featured. One of them is the following : “Healing – because there is no fear in the allness of Love” by Carol Dee Lewis”. (https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/2cq7yl244gc?s=e).
You can also listen to it. It is just wonderful. At one point, Ms Lewis cites President Roosevelt “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” and she shows that we do not even have to fear fear.
Thank you Evan and all for this post and the comments.
Thank you very much Beatrice!
I inadvertently posted this as a reply — As we daily lean on God’s infinite omnipotence and omnipresence, we are consciously and constantly being vaccinated and protected with the irreversible and unstoppable spiritual laws of perfect health and harmony. Perfect Love casts out fear. All must be well!!
I like to focus on the idea of immunity (spiritual), rather than vaccination (material). I note with interest the word “unity” is embedded in the word, “immunity”. Our immunity to fear rests on our unity with God, Love.