Changes

ARE you facing some big (maybe very frightening) change? Perhaps being uprooted from something familiar and having to establish yourself all over again? If so, you're not alone. Many people are struggling with major changes. But there is a way to find peace of mind and such a calm feeling of security that the change will not only stop frightening you, it will bless you.

Does this seem too good to be true? Well, it isn't too good. And it is true. When we accept the spiritual fact that God created man in His image -- perfect and whole -- and when we trust this truth, we can rest assured that no matter what changes may be necessary in our lives, we can face them with dominion and grace. Why? Because in our real being we are never separated from God's changeless, infinite love. Understanding that we are firmly rooted in God's love, we will be spiritually protected and strengthened.

The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Ephesians: ``I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.''1

How comforting it is to know that when we really open our hearts to God we are at all times strengthened by His might and grounded in His love. Through acknowledging that in reality we are all God's children we can silence the nagging fear of change. There is no change in God's goodness. And we can feel this goodness every minute as we fill our thought with the absolute conviction of His love. Then we can quietly rejoice that everything we need -- home, funds, companionship -- will be provided in any shift of circumstance we may have to make. The clearer our conviction of God's presence and His allness, the more closely our experience reflects that truth. Then we are able to look joyfully beyond whatever circumstance would try to lock us into a doubtful, uneasy view of our future.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, puts it this way in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: ``Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things.'' And then a little further down on the same page she continues, ``When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness.''2

As God's children we are complete. Now. So we don't need to cling despairingly to a beloved house if wisdom directs us to sell it; or lean on friends or family members if progress for them (and in truth for us as well) dictates a change in living patterns.

In essence we all walk individually with God, whether we live alone or in a large family group. And right here, in this closeness to God, we find our wellbeing, where the only changes are those wonderful ones that take place in our own thinking as we drop limiting material concepts and grow spiritually.

In our journey Spiritward we may encounter many changes in the human condition. But we never need to fear them. This beautiful hymn says it so well:

In heavenly Love abiding,

No change my heart shall fear; And safe is such confiding,

For nothing changes here. The storm may roar without me,

My heart may low be laid; But God is round about me,

And can I be dismayed?3

Dismayed? No. Worried about unsettling changes? No, because there are no changes in God's love for us. The serene conviction of this boundless love constantly deepens as we trust our heavenly Father and walk fearlessly with Him.

1Ephesians 3:14-19. 2Science and Health, p. 264. 3Christian Science Hymnal, No. 148.

You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. DAILY BIBLE VERSE: O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalms 106:1