Increased income of love

The natural beauty of the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula has been captured by the TV reality show “Alaska: The Last Frontier.” The show features a family who has been homesteading there for generations. They raise their own cattle, grow their own vegetables, and hunt and fish to sustain their lifestyle of living off the land.

Their resourcefulness reminded me of this statement by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science: “God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 307). Being open to spiritual ideas from God enables us to discern inspired ideas that lead to our needs being met. Christ Jesus brought out in the Lord’s Prayer that it is God who meets our needs: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

At the beginning of the year, I started thinking about the idea of income as an abundant supply from God to meet our daily needs. I realized that I didn’t have to accept the suggestion that because my husband and I were now retired, we would have to live on a fixed, or limited, income. The study of Christian Science has taught me that we can find answers to problems through prayer and through understanding and trusting the laws of God.

One of those laws is the law of abundance. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Life more abundant, not meager or barely making it, was what I was determined to pray about, and to find out what the law of abundance is and how it works.

As I prayed from the standpoint that man is the spiritual and complete expression of God, who is infinite good (see Genesis 1:26, 27), I was recognizing that God is the supplier of all good to His children by reflection.

I was striving to really appreciate every evidence of good that came our way. I acknowledged, for example, that a gift card to a restaurant from a friend was evidence of the good that derives from divine Love, God. There was an increasing awareness in my consciousness of God’s love and nearness and constant care.

I also saw that an understanding of God’s love can often inspire even a simple unselfish deed, which in my case it did. For me, it was the inspiration to learn how to crochet hats for my husband and my son. Then during the winter our neighbor came to plow our driveway after a snowstorm. He refused to take any money for the plowing, so I decided to make him a hat to express my gratitude to him. The following week he wore the hat to work, and one of his customers liked it and ordered two of them. Later when the neighbor stopped by to deliver payment to me for the hats, to my surprise the amount that he gave me was double what I would have considered charging.

More orders followed, as well as opportunities for further marketing my various crafts at shows and consignment shops. This was proof to me of divine Love’s ongoing provision.

Although I’m not planning on making hats indefinitely, I realize that infinite Mind is continuously supplying us with right ideas, and these can lead to new opportunities for appropriate income. The abundance of good in our lives is more fully manifested as we focus our motives and activities completely on expressing unselfed love, are grateful for each evidence of supply, and recognize that God, our loving Father-Mother, is the supplier of all good. We’re the beloved, spiritual children of God, destined to living a life of abundant good. Understanding and experiencing an ever-unfolding life of abundance in turn blesses others.

Recognizing God as the giver of all good taught me that being retired doesn’t mean that anyone has to accept the idea of being limited by a fixed income. Rather, as it says in Psalms, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (1:3).

This article was adapted from an article in the June 27, 2016, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.