Blessings that don't melt
Snow rests gently on branch and bough. Silence falls in soft flakes. The rose of Sharon tree outside my window is covered in cotton balls, the shells of dried flowers filled with snow. Peace permeates the air. To seek inspiration in the small symbols of life is time well spent.
As I watch the snow form a blanket, I think of each snowflake as representing a blessing. Such a multitude of blessings come to us from the Divine. Individually, they might seem insignificant. But blessings continue until we become aware of God's goodness as it covers the earth.
The slightest goodness is evidence of divine Love. It's the outward expression of a divine power at work in the world. Sometimes I see only the problems. But if I open my eyes and heart to the Divine, I can see the love of God at work. The action of Love may be quiet, as snow falling. Yet it's always present, blessing me as I'm willing to acknowledge God as good.
So am I aware of God's blessings? Perhaps this is a good moment to thank God for the evidence of His love. Immediately I'm grateful for a bank's willingness to renegotiate a loan on which our son had defaulted. The crisis occurred yesterday and was resolved by this morning. We prayed much of the evening until an inspiration came to pierce the feeling of doom.
Actually, it was disarmingly simple. Instead of being a human plan, the inspiration was an assurance that this was a growing experience for our son and would be a blessing to him. We stopped discussing alternatives. We trusted that God had a blessing in mind for our son, and for the bank, too. This morning, the bank president offered an option that had never occurred to any of us. So our son can continue in his chosen business, and the bank will receive its money.
Blessings don't have to be so large as that one was for us. Some delicious tamales a friend gave to us, a peaceful evening to pray, an affectionate cat - goodness takes many forms. And yet goodness isn't really an accumulation of things or events. God's goodness is felt in inspired thoughts. It's primarily mental and spiritual. God communicates pure and spiritual ideas to humankind. And this divine influence or inspiration improves human action.
It's a comfort to be able to turn to God for practical answers to questions. From the miniscule to the momentous, divine Love is pouring inspired thoughts into receptive hearts. These thoughts are really the blessings, which are outwardly expressed as justice, kindness, progress.
So what are the inspirations or real blessings that I've gained from the banking incident?
* To trust that God is always good and corrects mistakes to benefit, not to punish, people.
* To remember not to interfere in God's inspired guidance of another.
* To be at peace knowing that God governs every event of our lives for good.
* To pray without ceasing, which includes praising and thanking God.
These are blessings that never melt.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, quotes this verse from the 91st Psalm: "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." She then says, "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies…. What a glorious inheritance is given to us through the understanding of omnipresent Love!" ("Miscellaneous Writings," pg. 307) God is Love, and God's blessings are continuous.
The snow has stopped falling. But my gratitude for God's goodness is still shining.
(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Publishing Society
