I travel frequently, and it can be tempting while on the road to believe I need to hurry up and get to the next place in order to stay on time.
To catch a 6 AM flight, thought whispers, “You need to hurry up and get to the airport, get through security without delay, get to the gate, and get on board quickly so there’s a place for your luggage.” Once I rush through that schedule, I might enjoy a peaceful flight, but as soon as the plane lands, aggressive suggestions take over again like, “You have a tight connection, you need to hurry up and get to the next gate, grab a quick bite on the way,” and so on. This pattern of belief creates a feeling that I’m never in my right place. It suggests that I always have to be somewhere else to be in my right place, and thus, I never am.
I decided with my last trip to reverse these aggressive suggestions, by knowing that I was always in my right place. And by “right place,” I mean a consciousness of God’s presence.
In Spirit, place is not a physical location. It’s not where you stand or sit on earth. It’s not where the body is located. It’s not a particular physical surround. It has nothing to do with time or human expectations. It’s spiritual consciousness. And one can have spiritual consciousness any place. Every place is a right place for spiritual consciousness.
To practice my new commitment, I paid closer attention to my expectations of the moment while traveling, and frequently caught that “Hurry up and get to another place,” litany and replaced it with, “I’m in my right place right now.” And then I would lift my thought to Spirit and remember God’s infinite omnipresent Love. I would stick to that exercise until I tangibly felt God’s presence.
Each time, the sensation of “Hurry up,” would vanish, stress would leave my mind and body, I’d feel at peace, and proceed with delight and joy for the moment I was in. My trip went super well! Even with tight connections, I didn’t engage “tight thought.”
Are you in your right place right now? If not, you can be instantly. Rise into a consciousness of infinite Love and enjoy God’s immediate presence.
You don’t have to rush somewhere first to be in your right place. You don’t have to hurry up and get through a to-do list before you’re in your right place. Your right place is not a destination in the future that you never get to. It’s where you are with God right now. And that’s the very best possible place to be at all times.
Very helpful. Thanks Evan!
I had an experience of this myself on a flight a few years ago. My first flight was delayed and it appeared I would not make my connection. But I was reading a CS pamphlet during that first flight and I was so at peace as a result that I had absolutely no fear that I could ever experience anything but harmony. And in this experience I didn’t even consider outlining my own plan to recover from the flight delay (i.e. how I would go about getting booked on a new flight, etc.). I just knew somehow it would all work out. When the plane landed you could feel the tenseness from the other passengers all trying to get off the plane as quickly as possible in hopes of making their connections, but again I remained perfectly calm. As it turned out, my connecting flight had also been delayed so I didn’t end up needing to get booked on a new flight. And this is the really cool part. Even after being delayed about 45 minutes, my second flight arrived at its destination on time. It was like time was suspended. I still don’t know to this day how that happened. But my second flight took off about 45 minutes later than scheduled and it arrived at the destination at the time it was scheduled to arrive (and it was only an hour flight, so it’s not like there was a lot of time to make up time in the air). So I ended up never being delayed. But the part I remember the most is the feeling of calm I experienced throughout this. That feeling of calm and peace we get when we demonstrate Christian Science correctly is just the best feeling in the world.
Thank you Evan.
I know how you feel about your demonstration, Brian. Have experienced something similar.
I feel that overcoming fear, anxiety and tension is so helpful.
I’m learning to do this as I lose all sense of the material situation and become immersed in Spirit as all and everywhere. Holding on to a deep sense of God’s dear, precious love for his valued creation helps me feel confident and controlled.
I have had the same experience in the car, on a plane, all moving my body so to speak to another physical location. I used to use a simple statement ‘everything is already all right’ and think about the article God’s Law of Adjustment by Adam H. Dickey, one of the first CS writings I read. But like all things, these are not magic charms and have to be re understood to be grounded in their ideas.
This is SUCH a great article Evan thank you!
I have also experienced that time that is not “set in concrete” when we feel at peace knowing that no matter where we find ourselves, we can ONLY be in our right place and that God’s “time” has no measurements or limits. God’s timing is just in being present and conscious of God’s control and order NOW. I have at times left on a 50 minute drive to church very very late, thinking maybe it wasn’t worth going as I’d miss more than half the service. But I decided instead not to be dictated to by limited human perceptions of time and space. Without speeding at all I somehow arrived a few minutes early! Traffic holdups or lack of them is not a consideration either as there is never any hold up on the freeway that I travel almost all the way to church on.
I’ve had a ton of experiences like those commenting above (thanks to all). What I realized is, your right place is not only blessing you, but is automatically a blessing to others. I’ve often been in situations where I was able to be of help to others. This is all part of the harmony of being,”whatever blesses one, blesses all.” S & H p.206:16
Thank you! This is so helpful.
I immediately saw the need to apply these ideas for myself.
I am an itinerant teacher going to different buildings every day and often being “on a cart” and going from class to class every 30 minutes during the day.
I could see I have really adopted that sense of never quite being in the right place.
I can’t wait to replace the tension with this practice.
I think there might be a cousin to it as well.
Lately, I have been spending some time and effort countering the temptation to think that when I finish this task or the next task or the next task I will have the time to properly devote myself to spiritual thinking. But, that pretty much never happens. It’s always replaced by another deadline or obligation.
This will be fun to try. 🙂
Thanks, Evan>
I often find that I get to concerned in traveling and being at designated places and times.
Sometimes one does not always get there on time or worries about conditions that would impair their travel, whether it be in air flights, or traveling in your automobile.
I need to conquer these idle thoughts with the assurance with the assurance of God’s continue guidance. Lately, I have entertained the negative thoughts of maybe as one ages he should limit his traveling or even cut back on driving. I need to press forward of these negative thoughts and continue with my travels.
Your attention to this concept has shown up at the right time for my needs and clarity.
Thanks, thinking about one Mind seems like you might have identified my negative thinking at the right time in my life.
Thanks so very much!!
Thanks, Evan.
I also have travelled extensively — all over the northern hemisphere of this globe and in the process have had many similar experiences. One important lesson is that one is always in his right place at the moment — exactly where your Father-Mother God wants you to be. S/He has something important for you to do right there and right now and if you are calm, still and listening, you will be governed and guided naturally to do exactly what God wants you to do. It may be just mentally expressing Love’s pure, unadulterated, unconditional, un-judgmental and universal love that calms the atmosphere around you and assures everyone’s happiness; it may be healing the person next to you of fear of flying; or of having an enlightening discussion with a new intern travelling to her first assignment on the true meaning of healing and health; or helping a foreigner communicate with someone in a strange country; it may mean seeing a potentially dangerous problem with the airplane that no one else has seen and calmly reporting it to the pilot so he can take proper corrective action to avert disaster; it may mean healing a newly converted Christian of sever pain which segues into a meaningful lesson on what it practically means to be a Christian and how Jesus healed. People respond in positive ways to the love you express even if they don’t know what they are responding to. When we get leave the mortal sense of the burden of travelling and open our thought to the spiritual sense of God’s purpose the possibilities for good are endless and oh, what a joy this work is!
Last week I had a examination from a head nurse if I was eligible for Medicaid help which I was told would take more than 3 hours of my time. I thought that was absurd, also ridiculous since a child of 3 years old would say to his mother; “Mommie, that man needs help.” But a wonderful and unexpected thing happened. It took 3 hours but not with me and those 3 hours I used to do my lesson, The Daily Lift, Spirit View and reading the CSMONITOR. I was in my right place tending to God’s thoughts and not MATERIA MORTAL MEDICA. I was told that I was approved. Now there will be another meeting this Friday 11/13/2015. Mortal Mind just doesn’t leave well enough alone.
Thanks, Evan. This means everything to me right NOW. What a blessing to open up Spiritview and find such a perfect uplifting thought right now.
Wonderful way to think. Thank you Evan and all the responders. On my many trips I also use the poem “For the Journey” by Darren Stone Nelson. It ends with “I know before I leave Mind has already met me where I go.”
Thanks for this Wonderful sharing! I’m hearing a line of a C.S. Hymn in my thought: “……Till time and space and fear are naught, my quest shall never cease, Thy presence ever goes with me and Thou dost give me peace.” Seeking to feel God’s presence, I am always in my right place.
oh boy, did this one ever hit home with me. It is such a great reminder and i will be trying it starting now. thank you so much!
What a great reminder – thanks, Evan. And, what wonderful responses – thanks to everyone. I’d like to add my experience years ago when I missed a flight. I was flying from Los Angeles, California, to St. Louis, Missouri and my Dad was meeting my flight. I was directed to another flight to St. Louis that was already boarding and stood by waiting to see if there was a cancellation. I was notified I could board, but had no time to notify my Dad of the new flight. My original flight had a layover, the second was a direct flight. Thus, I arrived about the same time. As I was standing in line to have my Dad paged he walked up to me – he was about to do the same thing.
Throughout this whole experience I was praying to know that I was in my right place at all times and could only experience harmony.
I am so deeply grateful for the truths of Christian Science which truly do meet “every human need.”
Thank you very much, Evan, for this wonderful and timely message. With the holidays fast approaching, I can feel that sense of “rush, rush, rush” starting to build. Rush to get the shopping done, the house clean, the perfect holiday meal served, gifts purchased and wrapped, or sent, and so on. Your message of Truth is the perfect remedy for stress reduction! I will keep it constantly in mind when I start to feel that sense of being a rush. Thanks again!
I am JUST reading this, and my heart is pounding cause I am in a rush to pack. What timeliness!
Thanks to you all for your helpful comments. I’ll print this and take it with me.