Some people spend a large amount of time examining their body, watching their body, measuring it, gauging it, manipulating it, trying to form and shape it and control it with drugs, exercise, diet and hygiene. There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy body, but the metaphysician learns there is much more to the body than flesh and bones.
The human body is human consciousness. It registers whatever is happening in the mind that is governing it. The better the mental influence, the better the effect.
Years ago, I came down with a horrible cold, and wondering why, I realized that I had been feeling depressed and demoralized about an event in my life that put my thought into a state of despair. I was feeling morally and spiritually weak. A spiritual light bulb turned on in my thinking when I connected the dots. I realized that my unwitting weak state of thought had exposed me to picking up the cold. I had let my spiritual defenses down and now I was suffering physically. Ever since that awareness, I’ve paid much closer attention to my thinking to keep it spiritually strong when surrounded by people suffering from colds. It helped me prevent symptoms or shut them down early on when tempted to think I was picking up a cold.
The same rule applies to all aspects of health. A condition cannot get into the body unless it gets into thought first, either consciously or unconsciously. The more we pay attention to what we think, and strive to reflect the Mind of Christ, the stronger our mental and spiritual position is, and the better its effect on the body.
When we are thinking about spiritual reality and letting it fill our perspective with harmony and peace, these heavenly states of Mind produce a healthy effect on the body.
If we indulge hate, anger, fear, worry, or endless focus on the body, our thought is in a physical place, a place of moral and spiritual emptiness that is not on guard against harmful mental influences.
Mary Baker Eddy has some wise words about how to stay healthy. She writes, “Observe mind instead of body, lest aught unfit for development enter thought”(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 419).
Allow into thought only what you wish to live out.
Stay alert. Alert to Truth and Love!
Thank you for this needed reminder Evan. I know I am often guilty of being impressed by what seems to be going on with the body and need to be more alert to keep my thoughts on the right track. L. x
Thank you!
Thank you, Evan, for this beautiful explanation of Christian Science practice, which provides dominion over everything in our lives. The need is to always guard our thought to prevent material mindedness from attempting to take hold.
Thank you!
“There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy body, but the metaphysician learns there is much more to the body than flesh and bones.”
Thank you Evan for such clarity in that statement to help
Us to see our continual well-being physically, because of the constant metaphysical connection.
“Stay on the wall” Healing in Christian Science requires us to hold fast to the truth we know and not be talked into abandoning it. By Karen Neff. From the May 5, 2025 issue of The Christian Science Sentinel:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/nc62iui6pk?s=copylink
Oh my gosh, this is so timely as I’ve come to the huge realization that I need to lose weight. That I want to lose weight. So I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the idea that ‘the human body is human consciousness.’ I listened to a SW and she basically said the same thing. Our body reflects our thinking. I understand that we may all be talking and thinking about illness or injury but couldn’t the same be applied to any discordant condition such as being overweight?
I appreciate any thoughts on the subject. ❣️
Patty, there is an article that might be of interest, by Deborah Huebsch in Sept. 1, 2013 Sentinel entitled “Do you want to be slim and beautiful?”
Here’s a link to the article if you haven’t found it yet.
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/tu53aqdzze?s=copylink
In Miscellaneous Writings 47:1-26, Mrs. Eddy answers the question: “How can I believe that there is no such thing as matter, when I weigh over two hundred pounds and carry about this weight daily?” She begins the answer by saying, “By learning that matter is but manifest mortal mind.” The rest of her answer is a must read.
Patty, I want to share an experience I had that may be helpful–after years of being a stay-at-home mom, a change in my husband’s job brought about circumstances that forced me to go back to work. I felt very unprepared, having been out of the workforce for so long, but we were on the verge of losing our home. I did find work yet it barely helped–I found myself constantly worried about meeting our bills, maintaining a household, etc. AND suddenly my clothes didn’t fit! I had BEVER gained weight, my eating habits hadn’t changed, yet within months my sizes increased–I was very new to CS and just trusted that we were being cared for–however, I did feel especially burdened and responsible for keeping us afloat. Within months, our company was sold and new leadership came in, as the newest employee, I was let go. Instead of being fearful, I found myself actually feeling liberated since the atmosphere at my job had been quite anxious over changes. To make a long story short, my husband’s job became more stable, bills were paid and the pressure lifted and what else? I began to lose all that weight and was soon back to my normal size–so, Patty, what burdens are you carrying? Rest in the promise of Psalm 55:22: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved”. You are your beautiful, perfect you–you can’t be ‘weighed down’!
Thanks Evan for this reminder
Thankyou, this is so insightful!
Thank you very much for sizing up a big problem and cutting it down to size! Easter Blessings.
Wonderful message Evan! We would all do well to read your message today 4-5 times each day and put it into practice.
I read an article this morning that fits in with Evan’s message today. It describes the true who, what, where, why, and when of man, in reality. It’s from the March 25, 1967 Sentinel.
“Hail, son of God!”
JEANNE ROE PRICE
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1pcdk1kq4h6?s=copylink
Thank you RobertH – this article was just what I needed to read today!
Thank you Evan – excellent advice. What I understand this to mean –
that if we focus on the material, we are not honoring God, but making
“matter” a power apart from God. If we are believing in the material
senses, we are focusing on what our eyes or senses are telling us –
either bad Or good. If we find pleasure in matter, we can also find pain
in matter – if that is what the 5 senses we are believing in. To continue
to believe in the material, we will never find True satisfaction, because
matter does not really satisfy. It may Seem like it temporarily, but the
material always has us wanting more of something or another. Whereas
Spiritual qualities DO satisfy, for these are not superficial, but always giving
us what we need in divine harmony and in peace. No matter what shape
or form matter seems to be in or is tempting us with, it is still matter.
Here is a very good recipe for slimming. It ia absolutely effective.
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/868htx9762?s=copylink
Losing weight
by Jill Gooding
This year I’m going on a diet!
In prayer and humility
I’m going to reject those enticing spoonfuls of
impatience,
indifference,
intolerance,
criticism;
refuse to partake in bouts of
depression,
ingratitude,
selfishness.
Instead
my diet includes
unlimited amounts of
quiet patience,
true compassion,
bubbling joy,
deep understanding,
unending forgiveness,
unconditional love.
These can be taken at any time of the day
in quantities that are as large as possible!
I’m going to exercise, too!—
my God-given authority—
to see, feel, and act rightly.
Not just a ten-minute exercise,
but continuously, hourly, every minute—
a moment-by-moment mental
s t r e t c h i n g—
each day more than I did the
day before.
In this way
the true outline,
the embodiment
of elegant balance,
perfect proportion,
the Soul-filled harmony
of God’s being,
will be seen
as
me.
SpiritView Fan Thank you for printing out in full the link that
gave above. It is very good, isn’t it. The best diet ever!
What is body?
I love the lesson of when Jesus lost a lot of his followers. What most see as a sad fact in his wonderful career is for me a shout out to be watchful of my own thought about body. .
What many of followers of Christ Jesus thought as body was what caused them to leave and follow him no more when he told them they must eat his body. The Bible says they could not take it
We must leave all material ideas of body, and eating apparently, and see what Jesus saw, a spiritual body of ideas that when eaten, or understood, reflect God alone, the truth of our being, which is all the qualities of God expressed.
What we think of as a concrete body is only illusion. What we truly are is love objectified. Make a list of all the qualities of God you can think of and you will soon see what your body really is. This will indicate to you also what you are not.
I hope this is helpful to someone.
Yes, thank you. It is a challenge for me to see myself as a body of ideas. I had an MRI recently and tried to think right thoughts during the procedure. However not really wanting to hear any results which could be scary, so these words are gratefully received to help me fill my thoughts with Love nd Truth. xx
Dear Patty. Evan did a great SV called Weightless Being on December 21 2021. You should be able to find it in the archive, unless someone can give the link. Love Linda
https://spiritview.net/weightless-being/
Thank you Paula.