Never without a parent
So much of what we hear in the headlines relates to a sense of separation: children’s removal from their parents, suicides stemming from a feeling of alienation, racial division, women disrespected. We seem to face an uphill battle for love and unity.
This has led me to stop and consider what I’ve learned in Christian Science about divine Love, God, as a loving Parent who forever holds us in His, Her, care. This idea has had significant meaning to me since childhood, as I lost my dad at a young age. The Lord’s Prayer that Christ Jesus shared begins, “Our Father which art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). My mother frequently reminded me that my divine Father was ever present and ever caring. I embraced this notion so wholeheartedly that I once wrote “God” on a school form that asked for my parents’ names.
In “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “God, the divine Principle of man, and man in God’s likeness are inseparable, harmonious, and eternal.... God is the parent Mind, and man is God’s spiritual offspring” (p. 336). This has helped me see that the tender parenting qualities of our Father-Mother God are indeed always available to us, no matter our age or circumstance, because as God’s children, His spiritual expression, we can never be separated from God, good.
The natural tendency of any infant is to respond to the sound of its parents. A tender lullaby or murmured affection calms and reassures a babe. And so it is with God’s children, who are continually comforted with healing inspiration from our divine Parent. Listening for and obeying this inspiration keeps us safe and secure, enabling us to see how our infinite, all-knowing Father is caring for us in ways we can’t even imagine.
The Bible depicts this kind of care in the story of Moses. Surely he never dreamed he’d lead a nation, but through a series of unlikely events, his humble listening to God put him in a position to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. He had no GPS, just a steadfast faith in God’s direction. At one point, they faced the great Red Sea, and close on their heels was the Egyptian army, the greatest in the world. There were a lot of opinions put forward by those Moses was leading. Many wanted to give up and return to captivity, and others were critical of him for leading them to what looked like certain destruction. Which of them could have foreseen the outcome: the Red Sea parting so they could cross safely on dry land?
Similarly today, we might not always be able to see how problems can be solved, but we can trust in the same power. Science and Health explains: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good” (p. 494).
Divine Love, our Father-Mother God, supplies all good to each of us continually. That includes individuals in government, immigrants, the marginalized, the unhappy – everyone! In every moment, every situation, our divine Parent’s love is surrounding us right there. When we recognize this, it lifts anger, discouragement, and sadness, enabling us to feel a fuller joy and peace and discern solutions we hadn’t dreamed of. Like trusting children, we can be assured of Love’s care and guidance.
No individual, no government, no legislation, can separate any of us from our ever-present Father-Mother God. As sons and daughters of God, members of His, Her, divine family, we can lean on infinite divine Love to support our brothers and sisters. Instead of just feeling heartsick or angry over the headlines, our thoughts, prayers, and actions are more effective and beneficial when we let God’s eternal love for all His creation lead us forward.
