Turning toward the light

In our garden a honeysuckle grew up a wooden paling. Since it was shaded by the house, it grew slowly. Then a shoot met a knothole in the wood and poked its way through. On the other side it found light and warmth from the sun. It began to grow vigorously, and within days it had reached the top of the paling, leaving the shoots on the darker side far behind.

Plants need sunlight to grow, but mankind needs spiritual light to guide it out of the darkness of fear, pain, sorrow. The Bible reassures us, ''God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.'' n1

n1 I John 1:5

Comforting though these words are, how can they relate to our own lives? The connection becomes clear as we recognize that our actual being expresses God's nature, is inseparable from Him. And this truth is practical; it can be applied to specific challenges, enabling us to experience the peace and well-being native to our true selfhood.

We learn from the Bible that God is Spirit, universal good, the only creator. It follows, then, that the universe of His creating is spiritual and good, manifesting His nature. This includes man, made in His likeness.

The darkness of sickness, fear, lack, limitation of any kind, would obscure this truth. But when our thought is turned toward the light, when it is filled with gratitude for God's goodness and care for all His creation, the darkness yields to light; health and harmony become more apparent.

Our honeysuckle found not only light but warmth, to help it grow. In a world rampant with trouble of every sort, mankind needs the warmth of love and understanding. Again, as we turn in prayer to divine Love, feeling its presence and realizing its almightiness, we'll feel that warmth; we'll experience healing and spiritual progress. And through our prayerful recognition of everyone's unity with divine Love, we'll be helping mankind as a whole to feel Love's warmth, to realize its perpetual care.

The sun was vital to our honeysuckle, being the source of both light and warmth. God is the sustainer of man, and as the image of God, man can never be separated from the source of his being, the source of all good.

When a cloud covers the sun, we don't doubt that the sun is still there. When sickness or sin, loneliness or fear, clouds our experience, we needn't doubt God's presence. His love and care are continuous, and the clouds of fearful mortal thought can't hide that fact. They can be challenged and dispersed. As we accept and live the Biblical truth that God is good, that He fills all space, holding man forever perfect in His love, the darkness disappears, and we feel the warmth shining through again. Healing takes place.

The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes: ''Christian Science brings to the body the sunlight of Truth, which invigorates and purifies. Christian Science acts as an alterative, neutralizing error with Truth.'' And a little further on, ''The effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind.'' n2

n2 Science and Health with key to the Scriptures, Pg. 162

Christ Jesus in his healing ministry proved the supremacy of divine Truth, the harmony of the one Mind. His constant reliance on God's power enabled him to care for others' needs, whatever the situation. He produced enough food to satisfy a multitude when the supply on hand was meager; he healed disease and deformity considered incurable.

Today, we can begin to prove that the light of Truth and the warmth of Love are right at hand to help and to heal. We need only turn, in prayer, toward that light. DAILY BIBLE VERSE Let us put on the armour of light. Romans 13:12