Water walking

One night, Jesus’ disciples had been rowing in a boat for hours against the wind. Then, in the darkness, Jesus came toward them, “walking upon the sea” (Mark 6:48).

This was startling to those in the boat, who at first thought he was a ghost. When they cried out in distress, Jesus allayed their fears and joined them on the boat, at which point the weather became calm and peaceful.

Even in the midst of the violent winds, the jostling waves, and his disciples’ fears, Jesus didn’t sink; he simply came to the disciples and comforted them.

In light of world events today, perhaps there’s a timely lesson here. When things get rough, there’s an alternative to getting caught up in fear. We can follow Jesus’ lifelong example by letting prayerful inspiration guide how we see things – turning to God for new, spiritual views of truth and reality.

Mary Baker Eddy, who founded Christian Science, says of Jesus, “Walking the wave, he proved the fallacy of the theory that matter is substance; healing through Mind, he removed any supposition that matter is intelligent, or can recognize or express pain and pleasure. His triumph over the grave was an everlasting victory for Life; it demonstrated the lifelessness of matter, and the power and permanence of Spirit” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 74).

God is infinite Mind and Life. And because He is also infinite Spirit, true substance is not material, but spiritual. Even when circumstances seem otherwise, the presence and power of God, good, are fully in place. God loves and cares for all of us, His flawless spiritual creation, actively and ceaselessly.

We always have opportunities to honor God by holding to a steady love for everything that God is and does. The Christ – God’s inspiring and healing message of God’s supreme power – is here for us today, too. In a poem called “Christ My Refuge,” Mrs. Eddy includes this comforting verse:

And o’er earth’s troubled, angry sea
I see Christ walk,
And come to me, and tenderly,
Divinely talk.
(“Poems,” p. 12)

When we’re receptive to Christ, Truth – which comes to all of us – healing and peace are natural results.

I experienced this when I was healed of a long-standing foot deformation that made walking difficult and painful. So often, I would be distracted by my trouble. Yet through consistent prayer, there was a shift in my thinking. I became more steadily attentive to God, Spirit, than to the problem.

I began to realize that God never sees us as material or flawed at all, and that the way God sees us is the truth of what we are. This statement of Mrs. Eddy’s supported my prayers: “The lens of Science magnifies the divine power to human sight; and we then see the supremacy of Spirit and the nothingness of matter” (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 194).

Humbly, I learned to prayerfully walk forward – to more consistently strive to perceive reality through God’s perspective. I couldn’t help but love the permanent beauty and goodness of God and of myself – and everyone – as God’s spiritual offspring.

As I stayed with these truths, yielding to God’s Christly, healing messages to me, I was healed permanently. The foot took on a normal shape, and in the decades since I’ve enjoyed a number of active pursuits.

When tempted to be distracted by storms – whether in our own lives, or in the world around us – we can do our own form of “water walking,” so to speak. With God’s help, we can hold to the supremacy of Spirit, God, who is always here to love and inspire every one of us. In this way, we can stay buoyant and mentally on course to progress and healing. As Jesus proved, this is a powerful, effective approach to prayer, illustrating the Bible’s promise, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3).