Flying High

Not long ago, I was having a really busy week. I would take time each morning to acknowledge that God was present and powerful in my day - to pray. But within a few hours, the peace and calm that I'd attained through this communion with my creator was blown away.

Early one morning, I was thinking about a friend who had asked me to pray for her. Her life, too, seemed like it was being run by something besides an all-loving, good God. Everywhere I looked, it appeared that God wasn't in control.

Yet, I knew through my study of Christian Science that God is, in reality, supreme. I knew deep down that He hadn't given up on me, or my world, or my friend. But, how could I see His government more in my own life - right then, right there?

While thinking about this, I was waiting at a stoplight. I noticed a small bird trying to cross the street. At first it seemed funny. The bird would hop out into the middle of the busy street and then dodge the cars as they passed. Sometimes it would go forward, most of the time backward.

Then, a large vehicle passed by very quickly. The wind from it blew the bird all the way back across the street.

Back at square one, it then did something that has taught me a lesson. Without hesitation or discouragement about the setbacks, the bird gave up hopping and took to the air. Flying high above all the traffic and the wind it created, the bird easily and naturally made it to the other side of the road.

Suddenly I realized that I, too, could stop hopping through the maze of everyday life, hoping to find safety amid the obstacles and dangers. In fact, I could do even more. I could actually rise above the turmoil, fly over the burdens, and land in a safe place.

God comes to our rescue in so many different ways. That little scene encouraged me to fly high above all the chaos I seemed to be facing, by looking to God. From my prayers I'd learned that if my thought is clearly devoted to God, my life is more harmonious. It is through my prayers that I come to understand a spiritual fact: that God cares for me and is in control of all that concerns me. When I yield to His love, I see more and more that He watches over everyone.

Yielding to God's love opens our thought. We feel His power and love. Then fear, stress, worry, and doubt gradually disappear from our lives. Trust, peace, and faith take their place, and we find that all is well. This involves changing the basis of our thoughts; instead of letting them be determined by materiality, we let them be governed by God. Rather than be touched by the ebb and flow of mortal life, we really can see and feel God's goodness, moment by moment, throughout our day.

Thought that is settled, that understands we are inseparable from God, is thought that is serene, expectant of good, undisturbed. It is less likely to fall into, and get mired in, the drama of unhappy human experiences.

The textbook of Christian Science explains, "Undisturbed amid the jarring testimony of the material senses, Science, still enthroned, is unfolding to mortals the immutable, harmonious, divine Principle, - is unfolding Life and the universe, ever present and eternal" (Mary Baker Eddy, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Pg. 306). Divine Principle and Life describe God, who unfolds to us His eternal, ever-present care. Because of this we can learn to be undisturbed amid our troubles - spiritually understanding the good power God has over us.

That's what happened to me that day. And as I prayed, it wasn't long before I felt God's care and love. Then, naturally, the turmoil ceased. And my peace returned.

Humbly listening for God's message enables us to hear it when we need it. Quietly seeking His help, we find proof that there's never a time when He's not in charge. Actually, God never relinquishes control of His beloved creation, including you and me. Being open to His guidance, we are benefited, flying high, feeling serene and undisturbed.

Articles like this one appear in 13 different language editions of The Herald of Christian Science.