“Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.”
~ Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Constructive, deep insightful thinking is one of the most productive ways you can spend your time. And better yet, thinking on the realities of Spirit and understanding God better is the best use of time ever!
Are you taking adequate time to think? And to think deeply?
This is lovely, thank you. It sounds like taking time to build the temple, a more concrete, permanent structure to our worship of God.
It’s difficult not to get into some deep thinking when you’re involved in your Bible lessons every day. Maybe a verse in the Bible will spark a hymn in thought… and reading that hymn a verse from Science and Health will come to mind and on and on. Then you check out a Bible verse in The Message Bible or a New Translation Bible and so on. This brings such Joy To Me! This type of study always bring something new, inspiring.
This is true for me as well Diane. My dictionary is always close at hand too.
I remember soon after I had been made a partner, I was sat in my office with a clear desk and hands clasped in front of me, thinking through a challenge and making good progress in that silence. The senior partner came into my office, took in the scene, and snapped “What are doing! Get on with your work!!”, The good thoughts I had been thinking were gone as I opened a ledger so it physically looked like I was working and he could see what I was doing!.
Our most effective work begins with thought, – it was so good to see in the Annual Meeting such time being given. “Be still, and know that I am God” is such a favourite verse, linking so well with what Elijah witnessed amid the earthquake wind and fire, – “and after the fire a still small voice”. It is speaking to each of us even now, and when we listen, we hear
In fact, isn’t thinking to listen? Mind is the communicator, and man is the reflection of thought. Divine action will follow.
Thank you, Ken, this is very helpful.
Thank you deeply Evan, for today`s SpiritView and for the most needed advice!
It is so awsome to read the above 3 comments, as they say it a l l – thank you Ken, Diane and Eleanor – it is so so true and wonderful. And I am also so very grateful that I could watch the Annual Meeting of our Motherchurch life on my computer yxesterday. Such an inspiring time. Thank you God for this loving family!
Yes, “the time for thinkers has come”. I would like to echo what you had said Uta, about the annual meeting online and how connected to our wonderful spirit view universal family I felt ~ almost like being there in person. The love resonated like it does on this site and I am so grateful to be part of such a caring family of True thinkers.
PS. I just realized I should have capitalized Annual Meeting, giving it respect like Sunday or The Mother Church. I always like to refer to “Mrs.” Eddy also, as it seems to give a more nurturing, warm, loving feel. I love the way her students used to refer to her as Mother. And our Father/Mother/Love, God is our true comfort.
dear Carol, thanks, that is my thinking, feeling and intent, as well, what you so correctly and wonderfully are saying! It is not only giving respect to all that, but rather deep Gratitude and Love to God, Christ Jesus, Mrs. Eddy and our dear, dear Motherchurch!
Carol and Uta I totally agree with your comments. I always refer to our Leader as Mrs Eddy. I dislike the current trend of referring to her as ‘Eddy’. I feel it is so disrespectful.
I also do not like Mrs Eddy being called “Eddy”..this sounds like roll call in the army or something impersonal …I “get” the explanations from those who say this, but to me also it is like saying “Eddy, just another author.”..but this is probably the greatest book ever written! But then MRS Eddy also sometimes sounds a bit olde worlde and these days who calls ANYONE “Mrs”? Even my children when they were young addressed my friends by their first name. I usually refer to her as “MBE”…maybe that is even worse ha!! I dont know what is right ,..different for us all .
I had been taught that if I woke at any time during the night I should ask God what He was waking me to see more of spiritually. And then a year or so ago I began waking in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep sometimes for a few hours. Normally this would have been a problem in the past but I had been praying for God to reveal the deep things of His being to me. There was no agenda on my part just a deep desire to know God better, And so I began to view this wakefulness as my communion time with God. It was as if all the mental chatter and clamor of the day was silent and I would lay quietly in the dark just listening… sometimes for several hours. It was so easy and clear to hear God speaking to my thought revealing the deep things of Spirit and Truth. At first I was tempted to write it down as it came but resisted the urge knowing that what the Father gave me was mine forever to keep close to my heart. I never felt tired in the morning from lack of sleep but rather was refreshed and inspired. I am sharing this for those who may feel they don’t have time to think deeply. But if you ask God this question, ” What is the most important thing you want me to know right now” He will make a place and time to tell you. Ask Him frequently and sincerely so that you know you really mean it and see the results….maybe not exactly in the same way I did but surely and certainly in a way that will bless you.
Thanks for sharing. “What is the most important thing you want me to know right now?” – Love
that! Very helpful post!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. This is helpful.
Thank you for sharing. I too will use this time to listen humbly at the feet!
Thank you SOOO MUCH for sharing these wonderful thoughts and your experience “Anonymous one”! I always feel I have no quiet time too AND I wake up several times most nights but now I will do what you are doing instead of trying desperately to get back to sleep. ALWAYS something new to learn on Evan’s blog…so many wonderful inspired thoughts from everyone..thank you AGAIN Anonymous!
Thank you everyone!! This topic and conversation is truly humble and holy. God’s universe is humming with silent messages sent and received. What a blessing! How uplifting! I rejoice!
Nice image, Katherine!
My friend and I used to take what we called God breaks throughout the day. Just closing your eyes, watching your breath for maybe a minute helped center ourselves and break the hypnotism. I like the idea shared to ask What is the most important thing you want me to know? I lean on the familiar lines from the Bible- Be still and know that I am God. I am one with God, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. It isn’t easy to remember to take a God break but at some point it will be a habit. I too have wakefulness but I also used it as a time to pray.
What a wonderful post! I too want to say how wonderful I thought the Annual Meeting was! What joy to see our global family celebrated with the election of officers from Argentina (our new President) and Nigeria (our new First Reader). “We ARE able” to comfort and heal a world much in need of healing. I felt this year’s Annual Meeting was a call to step up and prayerfully challenge all false impositions on mankind. A full salvation! Onward!
I would just like to say Amen! to all of the comments, especially regarding the Annual Meeting. A group of our church members and guests met in our Sunday school room and it was a joyful gathering.
It’s soooo important at this time for CSers not only to Think, but also to get out of their Heads and be willing to Feel. We are more than our Heads, we also have Hearts and that is where we need to put our Focus these days. We have a lot of work to do to Clean Up the Past and the Hurt that’s been done. Time to face the Shadow side so we can move forward in Love!
.This is a quote from an article in the June 10th Sentinel:
“The way we deal with our inner world affects the way we live in the outer world. So rather than muting or dulling our emotions, we can learn through Christian Science how to balance feelings with thoughts before they turn into emotional responses.
This means we can overcome what feels like a tyranny of positivity. How often I’ve heard a friend tell another who’s describing a serious problem, “Just be positive!” But positive thinking wasn’t enough for me when my dad left my family when I was in high school. I put on a strong, happy face and continued doing well in school, while working at night to help make ends meet. Then I began having panic attacks. Back then, no one talked about anxiety, and I didn’t know what was going on. I just knew I would shake uncontrollably and have shortness of breath. I felt ashamed, not wanting anyone to know I didn’t have it all together. ”
And here is the link to the whole article: https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/21vo5jehux4?s=e
I just wanted to add this quote which summarizes the whole article just refereed to;
“Nor will we live primarily in our heads with a disregard for genuine feeling and affection.”
Yes! Thank You, Friend! A lot of CSers could use a good series of Therapy Sessions to learn how to get in touch with their feelings and emotions. So many of us were raised and trained how to stuff our REal Feelings and thus we closed our Hearts to Feeling and Giving and Receiving REal Love. You can’t Feel Love in Your Head!! Somehow, C.S. got to be the No Feelings Religion and the No Doctors or Medicine Religion and the No Body Religion. How did that happen? Something to THINK about, eh?
Hi Bevi, I think when we get “emotional” we can end up not thinking straight..as when someone is miserable and distraught and comes to you for help…is it helpful for you to be in tears with them, for instance? The difference between compassionate love and emotional love is sometimes subtle but the effects are big. Its a fine line at times, but to be able to rise above any problem, the first thing we need to do (and certainly any practitioner has to do) is to not get emotionally involved in the patient’s problem…the human emotion is what feels pain, hurt, anger, misery, disappointment..and as we all know, the way out of these is to get an objective view..to be able to stand BACK from the problem…yes we need to show FEELING but uncontrolled emotions seem to cause SO MANY problems in life.
Hi Bevi, I get what you are saying but let’s start to deny that “hurt has been done” and now needs to be fixed or negated or whatever… It just needs to be unseen . I was watching an interesting Indian “guru” guy on Youtube the other day because he just beams with LOVE and it is beautiful to see the patience and love he answers his students questions with…anyway a girl said she was so mortified that she couldn’t stop smoking marijuana and had “tried everything” to no avail and was asking for forgiveness from him but also a way to stop. His response was beautiful and like any CS practitioner, he said with a dismissive wave of his hand,”Do not worry or focus on what you are not. Your REAL SELF NEVER smoked marijuana or did anything wrong..or even felt guilty.” He said she did not need to apologise because he sees only her true perfect self made by God, perfect and guiltless. Her relief was so heartfelt by all in the room. Hurt has never actually been A PART of you.
love to you!
Thank You, Father-Mother, Love!
Thank you, Evan, and thank you to Diane for her comment on deep thinking the Bible Lesson. I am making a better effort to really think about what I am reading when I read the Lesson. It has to be more than perfunctory reading. It has to be an understanding, and that can take more time and thought. I look at it as communing with God, and She has a lot to tell me!
Before retiring for the evening a focus is given to some spiritual thought a hymn That seems to carry me through the night. It helps reject a mortal thought that wants to be entertained. Thanks all for sharing your thoughts that help and bless.