Restoration in the face of devastation

September 25, 2020 | 28 comments

As I watch the news of fires raging up and down the west coast of America burning thousands of homes, my heart goes out to all those people caught in the infernos. Australia, and other parts of the other world have endured the same.

I have never lost a home to a fire, but I have experienced devastating crop losses to weather disasters when farming years ago. It is an utterly sobering and heart-wrenching experience to go through, to say the least.

One lesson I learned is that there’s always a path forward from loss to restoration.

What has been materially lost can be spiritually replaced.

In my farming days, I learned that the real substance of our operation was not standing in the fields vulnerable to storms, winds, and frost. It was the wisdom, intelligence, creativity, resourcefulness, love, and direction coming to us from divine Mind. No matter what happened in the fields, the supply coming from God was never interrupted or destroyed. It kept coming without fail and gave us everything we needed to keep the farm funning profitably over the long run. Whatever the material loss, there was always a path to restoration.

The real substance that makes restoration possible is never burnt, flooded out, or lost. It is in Spirit and with every person that needs it to rebuild and restore. The substance of Spirit will have the final say.

People will triumph over the fires. Families will stay together and become stronger. Homes will be rebuilt. Communities will survive and thrive. We all contribute to this restoration with our ready and prayerful support.

In the face of devastation, restoration is possible.

“Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert” (Psalm 126:4, NLT).

28 thoughts on “Restoration in the face of devastation”

  1. Thank you Evan for today’s post. Time ago I found a real help in one article, here it is. As said in the article linked below : ” God’s law is operating in human affairs as a law of expulsion and annihilation to all that is unhappy, undesirable, unwholesome, and as a law of restoration to those conditions which are humanly necessary to a right, normal state of well-being.”

    https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/1petz62lcog?s=e

  2. Today’s Daily lift ” Sharing the Tanzanian sun” is also a pure blessing, many thanks to the Mother church for these podcasts.

  3. Thank you for the link Martine. The article ends with one of my favourite go to quotes by Mrs Eddy
    ‘Pilgrim on earth, thy home is in heaven, stranger thou art the guest of God.’ For me this is a very fundamental statement which covers any material belief trying to crowd out the good. The picture today is so colourful..enhancing its impact. Love it. Your message Evan, so positively put, helps me to understand that we can have complete assurance that our prayers are being answered at all times. We must never give up either for others or ourselves. After all God is with us now regardless of the material picture. Thank you for today’s SV. ❣️

  4. Thank you Evan and thank you Martine for the link to the excellent article on Home. I see it was published in 1941 during WW11 when many people in many countries were experiencing homelessness for various reasons. I’m sure it was as helpful then as it is now, and demonstrates how relevant Christian Science is throughout the years. When I was in my early 20s I used to suffer from feelings of homesickness when I was away from home, and it was only through CS that these feelings were finally conquered by realising that home wasn’t a house but a state of mind and therefore I could never be without it or lose it or be separated from it for one second. I carried it with me always and was always ‘at home’. I love these daily messages from Evan and all commenters. Thank you.

  5. Thank you for this message.

    Living in Louisville, Kentucky, we are being faced with another type of devastation that needs restoration: the loss of a Black woman gunned down in her home by police using a dubious search warrant, and the inability to obtain a (to many) satisfactory response through the legal system.

    Many people are hurting, and wanted to blame the Individual police involved; but, except for the one who acted irresponsibly (who was charged accordingly), they were following the law.

    The restoration that must happen now is changing the many issues that led to this tragedy; that will take time. While the three lives lost related to this incident (and many others, from far worse incidents) cannot be replaced, the community needs strong prayer asserting God’s power and presence guiding restoration. Human law is insufficient to bring restoration, but God/Mind is ever-present, and guiding much-needed changes to prevent such tragedies in the future; and, prayers of comfort are needed for those who are hurting.

    1. Dear Ellen,
      Thank you for shsring your loving concern and prayers for the many challenges our citizens are facing, especially the preventable ones due to racism and overt injustice. I know Breonna Taylor is sitting in the lap of divine Love now and forever. I pray that her family, friends and all protestors may feel the tender comfort of the Christ at this time. May all Americans rise to the call of creating a system of justice which benefits all its citizens. Strong Love and divine Principle will show the way. Restoration is the natural law of Harmony and we can expect to see progress now. Love to you and all.

    2. Dear Ellen, when I watched the news of the events in Louisville, as well as the corresponding anger here in Seattle and other cities, I recall thinking there were probably some Christian Scientists in Louisville I could be supporting prayerfully, along with their community. I love what both you and Cathryn from San Diego shared. We are all on this healing journey together.

  6. During the war, in England someone saw a little
    boy playing in a hotel lobby every day.
    One day they said to the boy, “It”s too bad you
    don’t have a home.” The boy replied, “We do have
    a. home, we just don’t have a house to put it in..”

    I think this was in a periodical.

  7. Home is not a place but a power! Mrs. Eddy was quoted. Mr. Cook’s article is comforting. Written at the beginning of WWII it was timely, a prayer for those suffering the pangs of war.
    Thanks once again Martine.
    Isiah 40:1
    Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith your God.
    Isiah 40: 3 – 5
    3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God..
    4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
    and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
    5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together:
    for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
    S & H 542:19
    “Let Truth uncover and destroy error in God’s own way, and let the human pattern the divine.”
    The lost of people, homes, towns, forests could have been saved with the proper preparedness.
    Infrastructure improvements have been suggested prior to the occurrence of national disasters.
    An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure.
    Those in the devastated regions need comfort. Prayer is powerful to help those in distress.
    Fellows in the Truth, march on and pray for those in need. Surely the forests will be beautiful once again, as in the landscape Evan presented.
    Lives will be restored. Pray that “Loss is gain”. See hymn # 207.
    Thanks for sharing this mornings “sweet hour of prayer”

  8. Ellen thank you for bringing up the tragedy in Kentucky.
    Yes the police may have been following the laws written by men but thank God there is a higher law.
    It is this higher law that corrects and governs and meets the human need.
    God’s law knows no disrespect for human life..
    This higher law turns us to the arms of Divine Love and overturns until He comes whose right it is to govern and restore the human condition to fairness and justice.
    Thank God there is a law of God that restores life after a raging fire has destroyed or injustice has needed to be corrected.

  9. One thing I have noticed experiencing a disaster is that God’s law of goodness is still in operation . In every disaster situation I have observed firsthand , whether loss through fire or economic loss, God has means for survival and revival and the recovery always leaves the so-called victim in a better place than before the so-called disaster. The improved situation would not have o cored if the devastation had not provided the opportunity for renewal. God always takes us to a better place humanly no matter the trial we face. When a disaster threatens we pray for protection. Sometimes the prayer is answered in protection (my house was protected from fire stiorms 3 times) and sometimes it is answered in renewal but always left me in a good place. Instead of dwelling on the threat seize the opportunity to pray for God’s good purpose of good to be realized.

  10. Evan, these truths are so powerful. That whatever is lost materially is restored spiritually. This is the best answer / solution for destruction suffered I have ever seen.
    “the real substance of our operation was not standing in the fields vulnerable to storms, winds, and frost. It was the wisdom, intelligence, creativity, resourcefulness, love, and direction coming to us from divine Mind. No matter what happened in the fields, the supply coming from God was never interrupted or destroyed. It kept coming without fail and gave us everything we needed “
    Thank you!

  11. When I was a teenager, I was a part of a riding community and we lost our barn to a fire. Our community worked together – 160 acres were purchased, a new barn was built, a new shelter was built. It was amazing to see everyone working together. We were from all different backgrounds but everyone had a skill that could help to rebuild. When you get to see a community come together like that it is a gift. For every loss there is a gain.

    It is also important to not focus on the material picture. An acquaintance from Molalla, OR had forwarded a picture of the fire encroaching on her house. A large pasture and then a forest beyond the pasture. The forest was glowing red. She evacuated and thought her home would be destroyed. When she went back to check on her house, she learned the fire had changed direction and went up a hill.

    1. Thank you, EVAN. I heard about the”special” brand of apples that meet your need many years ago in a lecture you gave at my branch church.
      We are all watched over, cared for, & protected.
      Truly blessed!

  12. These challenges in the world today certainly do give us a lot to pray about to keep our own thoughts productive in helping others, as well as ourselves. To me, the well chosen serene photo… (thank you, Evan, for these photos that add so much to your blogs),… hints of a rainbow, “a bow of promise on the cloud”, that appears with a whisper of beauty after a storm. Sometimes we have to look for it and sometimes it is there without our even knowing about it, like the sun is still shining even though clouds or nighttime or smoke or fog may obstruct our vision.
    Like a turtle, our true home is within us, our Spiritual thinking, where we can retreat to from whatever threat we or others seem to be facing.
    We carry this protection with us wherever we go with a surrounding shell of God’s impervious armor of sheltering peace, no matter what suggestions of troubles might present itself.

  13. Dear Evan, I would love to see this article on restoration published in the Christian Science Monitor as well as other newspapers. It gives such a sense of assurance and divine light to a pervading sense of devastation and fear of loss. And Martine, thank you for the link to the journal article by George Cook. What an impetus to specific prayer about home! It clearly articulates divine Mind’s true sense of home, elevating consciousness to embrace Love’s perpetual, harmonious qualities that constitute our heavenly spiritual home now and always. The gratitude I feel for the contributions here is beyond measure!

  14. Thanks, Evan, for this clear concept of home, and to all who have shared their experiences and helpful articles. At present, I may not appear to the material senses to be at home, but spiritually speaking, my home is within my consciousness. Presently I am in a Christian Science Nursing facility in Los Angeles, California. Our Annual Meeting was last Saturday and the theme was, “We are family.” And indeed we are. Throughout the day people not currently responsible for my care will stop by just to say hi. The care is given so lovingly and patiently. We are indeed family caring for each other. What a blessing!

  15. Evan, this was perfect for what many of us are experiencing. Right now we are in the realm of the divine and no matter where we seem to be we are always in the our spiritual Home.
    Thank you Angie and Martine for the articles to study today. These periodicals that have been shared with us all over the years I have been joining you,have been a special addition to these SV blogs. Much love to all.

  16. I’m sorrowful for the way lives are disregarded. Things must improve. Forgiveness will be very hard when there are alternatives to shootings. There are kinder ways to deal with lawlessness.
    Christian Scientist are enlisted to hold crime in check. Law officers must be moral in their dealings with others. Shooting not necessary? Mostly they aren’t.

    S & H page 96: 32 – 4
    During this final conflict, wicked minds will endeavor to find means by which to accomplish more evil; but those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.

    All who are praying for this ultimate perfection are helping us to find the final days of evil and all it’s insidious ways come to the end.

  17. How precious, Angie, is the March 2018 article you’ve posted! I’m reminded just now of the account in the Bible that when the two or three local men, upon meeting ‘a stranger who talked with them about the Kingdom of Heaven within them, they asked of him, “where dwellest thou?” Jesus’ response was “Come, and see.” These three men became three of the twelve disciples.

    And a teacher wrote, “You have never entered nor lived as any fleshly sense, “the supposition of life, substance or intelligence in matter,” because the thoughts or sense of being that constitute you originate in Soul, your only conscious Mind. This is the only functioning fact of your being here and now; and this is why nothing that a wholly fictitious mortal mind is saying about you can ever disturb you because it doesn’t apply to you. The Kingdom of Heaven within you is the totality of your experience here and now, and has never been touched by any sort of supposition.”

  18. This morning I read this SpiritView quietly. And the important thought came to me that also our loved churches need rebuilding and restoring mentally! The real Substance of our churches are Inspiration, Spirit, Love, Wisdom and our healing work! I think that that is most necessary. It is our spiritual mindedness which brings spiritual restoration and thriving to our churches!
    And also the spiritual understanding of ourselves, seemingly aging, loosing strength needs very badly spiritual rebuilding, restoration and healing. Here also spiritual mindedness and looking to God for help and guidance is the remedy! Thank you dear Evan for your daily loving treatment and making us more think and pray for us and for the world!
    Am grateful for all the inspired comments here on this wonderful SpiritView blog – with Love to all.

  19. I received this beautiful clarification many years ago from my teacher-
    God’s Wholeness
    “Living as Mind-manifest, you live as the presence of universal Mind in action. This is inevitably one, indivisible, infinite activity. Its center is Mind living Mind’s own experience as One synchronized, co-ordinated whole. All things work together for good because in God, Mind, good has to be all things together as One; and it is this that ensures your harmonious relationship with all that constitutes your universe. The Science of Being is the understanding of what God is being, and it is God who understands.”

  20. Thank you Evan! I would like to share a very condensed version of an experience I had.
    I lived in Paradise, California when the devastating Camp Fire destroyed the town. As we were driving away from our house I declared loudly and firmly that my true sense of home, which I knew to be spiritual, could not be burned or destroyed. Flames could not touch what I knew to be a spiritual concept, an idea of Mind. My husband and I learned 4 days after the fire that our house was completely destroyed. We both decided that we were not going to identify ourselves as victims and we held firmly to that. Victims suffer and we weren’t going to go there! To make a long story short, within 2 weeks we found a house a few miles away that had been sitting on the market for 3 months. It was about the same size and in many ways similar in its layout, plus it was fully furnished and well stocked with everyday supplies! God had restored us whole! We never lacked anything during this time.
    It was the manifestation of what I had been holding as my true, spiritual, sense of home.
    My gratitude for Gods infinite provision over flows!

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