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In support of our global family, near and far

A Christian Science perspective: Not only can the light of infinite Love uplift us in the face of tragedy, but that light reaches all, inspiring wisdom and strength.

  • By Liz Butterfield Wallingford

Six thousand miles. That’s about how far away I live from the Iran-Iraq border, where the deadliest earthquake this year recently took place.

In such situations, it’s easy to feel a sense of disconnect, even as our hearts go out to those directly impacted and on the ground helping. It can seem as if there’s not much we can do.

But as I read about the quake in the Middle East, wondering what I had to contribute, I realized that there is in fact something we can all do to help, wherever in the world we are: We can humbly, sincerely embrace our fellow men, women, and children in our prayers.

This kind of prayer is about actively acknowledging that everyone is the immeasurably loved and cared for spiritual child of God. That God’s will for everyone is 100 percent good, and because God is supremely powerful, nothing can remove that goodness.

As Mary Baker Eddy, the spiritual pioneer who discovered Christian Science, puts it, “man cannot be separated for an instant from God, if man reflects God” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 306). And man – each of us – does reflect God, because man is God’s spiritual reflection.

This is true for everybody, including those in Iran, Iraq, and beyond. Those who have lost their lives aren’t excluded, either; our relation to God, infinite Life itself, can never be severed. God’s goodness knows no bounds, and it encompasses all of us.

Heartfelt prayer sheds more light on this spiritual reality, even when events in the world or our own lives seem to contradict it. Through his many healing works – including quelling a storm that threatened to sink a ship he was on (see Mark 4:36-39) – Christ Jesus showed that this understanding of everyone’s true being can actually bring protection from harm as well as comfort, help, and healing. And that wasn’t a one-time deal. God’s truth, the supremacy of good, remains true for eternity.

It’s heartening to know that no matter where we live or what resources we have, we can each play a part in supporting hope, progress, and healing for humanity by opening our own thought to divine Life and Love, acknowledging the universal power and presence of divine good. Not only can the light of infinite Love uplift us in the face of tragedy, but that light reaches all, inspiring wisdom and strength. Our prayers affirming this for our global family can only bless.

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