What makes your mother special? I’m sure your answer is just as unique as she is. We each have our own special connection with our mom. Whether you met her as a newborn baby, or were adopted into her arms later, your description of her would most likely include how she makes you feel, rather than a physical description. Consider, for example, one of the most famous moms ever. We have no idea what she looked like, although she is featured in many paintings, statues, and other works of art. But wow, what a mom she was! I’m thinking about Mary, Jesus’ mom. When Mary was told of her impending motherhood by the angel Gabriel, she didn’t question her ability to care for this special baby. She must have known that God, the Father of all, would equip her with the spiritual qualities she needed, like strength, tenderness, and courage. That’s right: Mary’s great mothering qualities—and your mom’s, too—are spiritual. Unconditional love, kindness, unfailing support, and so on, come from God, divine Spirit. Those mothering qualities are so much a part of God’s nature that 19th century spiritual thinker, Mary Baker Eddy, used Mother as a synonym for God. She wrote, “Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 256). And in the same book, she defined Mother as, “God; divine and eternal Principle; Life, Truth, and Love” (p. 592). Perhaps you’ve considered God as Father, but this may be the first time you’ve thought of God as Mother. There is biblical authority for thinking of God as both Father and Mother. The prophet Isaiah quotes God as saying of Herself, “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:12). Mary was a great example of mothering qualities in action. When Jesus was 12 years old, their extended family went to Jerusalem for the yearly feast of the Passover. Mary was panicked when Jesus turned up missing after the family had gone a day’s journey home. No matter how often I read that account, my heart goes out to Mary and her husband, Joseph, as they frantically return to Jerusalem, looking everywhere for their little boy. After three long days of searching, they finally find him in the temple speaking with the scholars. Yes, Mary scolded Jesus—what mother wouldn’t have? But he let her know he was about his Father’s, God’s, business. As they all returned home to Nazareth, Mary continued to hold her son’s response in her heart. (See Luke, Chapter 2.) Undoubtedly, it reminded her of Jesus’ divine conception and the great life purpose that lay ahead of him. Mary saw her child’s potential, and supported him through thick and thin. She was there at the foot of the cross at what seemed like the tragic end of her son’s magnificent career. Jesus looked down and saw her standing steadfastly by him—as always. John describes Jesus’ last touching act of love for his mother like this: “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26, 27). Although our lives may not be as dramatic as those of Mary and Jesus, we all appreciate the way our own mom has also stood by us in our most trying circumstances. Do those great mothering qualities stop when we grow up? Do they leave with our mom when she’s no longer with us? No. In the words of Mary Baker Eddy, “A mother’s affection cannot be weaned from her child, because the mother-love includes purity and constancy, both of which are immortal. Therefore maternal affection lives on under whatever difficulties” (Science and Health, p. 60). Don’t wait for Mother’s Day! Today and every day, you can thank your mom for always being in your corner, and for always having your back. Thank her for telling you she loves you the most, even though you know she tells your brother the same thing. And remember that her sweetly steadfast, and strongly sympathetic, spiritual qualities are just as permanent and ever-present as their source—our Father-Mother God. You can expect to feel their embrace for eternity. If you want to see how unique moms really are, go over to mountaintop moments and catch this video.
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Anyone who has ever been to New Mexico is familiar with the bright blue skies that stretch from horizon to horizon. The fluffy white clouds cast blotches of shadows on the rolling countryside. The clouds look like cotton candy; I’m sure they’re low enough to take a bite. Every summer I make the drive from Colorado to New Mexico. I go to reconnect with friends and attend a one-day talk on Christian Science healing. It’s only a weekend, but it inspires me. I always see things in a new way when I head back home. A couple of summers ago, I was driving home in the bright sunshine when one of those mammoth white clouds turned an ominous gray, and I found myself in a cloudburst of torrential rain. I turned my windshield wipers to high, slowed down, but kept going. I saw some motorcyclists stopped by the side of the road. They were drenched and waiting for the storm to pass. In another thirty seconds or so, I found myself back in the sunshine. It felt like I had passed through a car wash. I thought about the motorcyclists. If they had known that they were less than a minute from sunshine, would they still have stood in the downpour and waited? It seemed like a life lesson to me. At times, we’ve all felt like we’re in the middle of a storm. The dark clouds of pain, fear, or lack seem to loom ominously over our heads. But, if you knew how close you were to clearing the storm, wouldn’t you keep moving forward toward the inevitable sunshine? To me, God is like perpetual sunshine, always shining light on His creation. This light—the understanding of God’s goodness and power, and our unity with Him—is consistent, constant, and always at hand. How am I so sure? In the definition of God on page 587 in the glossary chapter of Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy uses “Truth” as one of the names for God. The qualities of Truth would have to be constancy, consistency, and permanency. When something is true, there’s no way it can ever change into something that isn’t. Truth always produces unchanging fact. A simple example would be the basic equation 3+4=7. This is fact. You could never sit down to balance your checkbook and find that 3+4 is suddenly 8! Truth maintains what is true. God, being good itself, means that you—Truth’s creation—are good, like your Creator. (See Genesis, chapter 1.) As part of God’s creation, you can only manifest what Truth knows about you. Your health, abundance, and satisfaction, are the 3+4=7 of His creating. The fact of permanent health can’t ever morph into sickness. The fact of endless abundance can’t one day turn into emptiness. The fact of joyful satisfaction can’t suddenly become disgruntled disappointment. Again, Truth maintains what is true. He maintains the facts of His spiritually perfect creation. The next time you find yourself in a storm cloud of misery, wondering if it will ever end, be willing to consider the fact that Truth is maintaining everything good about you. Mrs. Eddy shares this about the sunshine that certainly lies ahead: “The discoverer of Christian Science finds the path less difficult when she has the high goal always before her thoughts, than when she counts her footsteps in endeavoring to reach it. When the destination is desirable, expectation speeds our progress” (Science and Health, p. 426). It may seem like you're sitting in the storm waiting for something good to happen, but you are always Truth's consistently good fact. What can be more desirable than the expectation of seeing yourself on the other side of the storm of sickness and sadness, enjoying the sunshine of health and happiness? And this expectation is sure to speed you on your way--out from under those clouds and into the promise of blue skies, from horizon to horizon. Today, March 6, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is gracefully slipping into dwarf planet Ceres’ orbit. This is its final destination on its two-stop mission, which has so far taken eight years to accomplish. The Dawn spaceship is special because it runs on an ion propulsion engine. This engine is very efficient, but doesn’t have much force; it only thrusts at the same force as a piece of paper resting on your fingertips. Let’s just say that if Dawn were one of the characters in “The Tortoise and the Hare,” it would be more like Tortoise—starting off slow, but steadily gaining ground. It’s very different from a speedy hare-like rocket, which starts out with a fiery bang and zooms along with lightning speed. Back in July of 2011, the Dawn spacecraft had just reached Phase One of its mission after four years of puffing its way to the asteroid Vesta. At the time, Marc Rayman, Dawn Chief Engineer and Mission Director said, “Gradually, over time, the effect of this whisper-like thrust can build up and produce fantastically high velocity. So this is what I like to call acceleration with patience.” When I heard him say “acceleration with patience,” it occurred to me that this steady whisper-thrusting ion engine is a lot like prayer sometimes. We’ve all experienced the kind of prayer where the answer or inspiration hits us like a rocket flash. But sometimes, we do a lot of determined seeking, deep thinking, and quiet listening before we reach the ultimate answer. That seeking, thinking, and listening to God is the whisper-thrusting that inevitably takes us to our final destination: complete realization of our present perfection as part of God’s spiritual creation. It may seem like we’re going nowhere, but those puffs of prayer help us stay the course; they push us along and steer us in the right direction. Patience and persistence in prayer are nothing new; Jesus also taught this approach. He instructed his followers using a parable: “that man ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). He told them about a disagreeable judge who doesn’t honor God, nor does he care much about helping the people. In the story, a widow begs the judge to grant her justice against her adversary. At first, he refuses. But she continues asking that justice be served. Finally, because the judge doesn’t want to hear her ask one more time, he grants her what she’s seeking. Then Jesus brings home the point that even a cranky judge will give in when asked continuously. Think how much more willing God, divine Love, is to help His beloved children when they ask. God’s tender care, and His salvation from whatever would harm us, concern us, or even irritate us, are always immediate. Our help is as omnipresent as God is. We’re never waiting to be His complete and loved spiritual child. But sometimes it does take persistent prayer for the facts of God’s infinite creation to be glimpsed. Like the ion engine, it may seem like our progress is imperceptible at first, but our prayers always bring progress—whether slowly or quickly. There’s nothing like a rocket-like flash of inspiration to zoom us forward, but there’s also something to be said for a Dawn-like whisper-thrusting prayer, accelerating forward with patience. If you'd like to learn more about the technical aspects of the Dawn mission, rocket your way over to mountaintop moments and watch an official video put out by NASA. Here are more ideas about persistence: The Bible Psalm 103:17 Another parable from Jesus Luke 11:5-13 Writings by Mary Baker Eddy Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: p. 136 Miscellaneous Writings: p. 118 p. 230 The other day I spotted a narrow dirt path that ended on the sidewalk where I was walking. My eyes followed it diagonally across an empty lot to where it began—a bike shop. That made sense! I could picture riders buying bikes or accessories there, then riding across the lot on their way home. Clearly, the bike trail was there because the bike shop was there. They were connected; one existed because of the other. It’s a simple example, but it reminded me of a phrase that I have thought about many times on page 276 of Mary Baker Eddy’s book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Man and his Maker are correlated in divine Science…” Correlate isn’t one of those words we hear every day. It basically means that two things are so connected that one of them implies the other. Unlike bike trails, which can exist without bike shops, man cannot exist without God. And unlike bike shops, which can easily be successful without nearby bike trails, God absolutely needs man to express His infinite nature and magnificence. Since every individual and God are correlated, our connection with Him is permanent. The existence of man, creation, implies the existence of God, Creator. One would never exist without the other. Here’s another way I like to look at this fact. Mind is one of the synonyms used in the study of Christian Science. (See Science and Health, p. 591.) Since God is Mind, He must have ideas. After all, a Mind without an idea couldn’t be considered Mind at all. Likewise, an idea, or thought, can’t exist by itself; it has to have Mind to bring it forth. Without idea, Mind would have no proof of existence. Without Mind, idea would have no source. It’s a necessary and unbreakable relation. This powerful information will help you in your day-to-day life. It gives you authority to deny, and declare impossible, things in your life that are unlike God—Good itself. As the expression of God, eternal Life, you are forever connected to health, vibrancy, and energy. As the expression of God, the one and only Soul, your identity can never be lost. The attributes of Soul--joy, humor, and creativity--will always be part of who you are. As the expression of God, unchanging Principle, security and freedom underlie everything in your life. Each one of us is uniquely qualified to express Him in just the way He has designed. Even on your darkest day when you just can’t see what your purpose might be, divine Love knows you. You are priceless to Him. He can’t be fully expressed without you! And how long will the omnipotent creator of the universe and everything in it need you? For eternity! Yes, every moment for eternity you’ll be connected to Mind as His idea. You are important, priceless, and indispensable. Realizing your correlation with God can change and enrich your life. It can help you ride off on your daily adventures with confidence--and purpose! Ride on over to mountaintop moments and find out about how you can subscribe to a free podcast that puts you in touch with God every day. Other thoughts on being at one with God: The Bible: 1 Corinthians 8:6 Romans 8:38-39 How Jesus saw it: John 10:30 John 17:20-22 Science and Health: p. 588 p. 18 p. 502 p. 336
He falls madly in love with a local girl—Delilah. But there’s a twist: When his enemies want to take him prisoner, they offer her a huge sum of money to find out the secret behind his brawn. She comes right out and asks Samson his secret, and even tells him why she’s asking. He lies to her a few times, but then—because he’s in love with her—tells all, which leads to a haircut and his downfall. It’s hard to believe that Samson could be so gullible, or that Delilah could be so deceitful. But that’s the way of human love without God, divine Love, at the center. That’s right: To avoid these love-gone-wrong scenarios, and to nurture something more enduring, we have to start with the source of true love—God. In the biblical book of 1 John it says that God is Love—not just loving, but Love itself. In an article titled, “Love,” Mary Baker Eddy pointed out that, “Love cannot be a mere abstraction, or goodness without activity and power” (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 250). On the same page she described what Love’s activity looks like: “It is the tender, unselfish deed done in secret; the silent ceaseless prayer; the self-forgetful heart that overflows.” In the lives of each one of us, divine Love is continuously expressing the spiritual qualities that every loving relationship needs to thrive. Yes, that includes romantic relationships, but it also includes encounters with friends, family members, and co-workers. Love is even the source of compassion that would lead you to shovel your neighbor’s walk, or to help a complete stranger. Every affiliation that naturally includes spiritual qualities like honesty, genuine affection, and kindness, definitely has divine Love at the center. Love would never include or cause deceit, manipulation, possessiveness, or pain of any kind. Genuine love is expressed by divine Love, and is satisfying, comfortable, and lasting. This Valentine’s Day, and every day after it, make a point of moving away from the LOVE cake sort of connections, and infuse some real flavor into your relationships. Put divine Love, God, at the center of every desire, activity, and encounter. You’ll love it! For more ideas about the nature of divine Love, hop over to my Mountaintop Moments page and listen to musician Brandon Heath sing his song, “Love Never Fails.” Some other thoughts on Love: Bible: 1 John 4:16 Hebrews 13:1 1 John 5:2 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: 17:7 225:21-22 242:15 266:18 494:10-11 From the Christian Science Monitor: Learning God's love through loving A big thanks to Amy Richmond for the great photo!
Of all the surprising designations you might imagine, it turns out that 2014 was the year of the salamander. Who knew? This according to an article on National Geographic’s website, which points out the richness, diversity, and value of salamanders. I haven’t given a lot of thought to the “awesome salamander”—you may not have, either. But certainly we’ve all given some thought to at least one of the many species living in the deserts, forests, oceans, or even rescue centers right now. Although the article highlighted salamanders, the author’s description of these little beings could apply to any living thing in the world today: Each creature is distinct; each creature has a special purpose unique to them; each creature, no matter how small, is important to the environment in which it lives. Sadly, from coral reefs to salamanders, these loved creatures are facing decline and even extinction. How can we best pray for the fauna and flora? A spiritual view of things is a great place to start. How does God, divine Spirit—the one and only Creator—see every object in His infinite, spiritual creation? When his work was complete, “God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). You may think “very good” isn’t a “very exciting” description. But when you consider that God is Good itself, that means He was declaring that all of His loved creation is like Him—complete and magnificent! Each spiritual idea, from an easy-going elephant to a scurrying salamander, has a necessary part in expressing God’s awe-inspiring nature. Since God is infinite Mind, the existence of each spiritual idea in His mental creation is imperative. Without any one of those ideas, God’s expression of Himself would be incomplete. Therein lies the spiritual permanence of each of God’s creatures—great or small. Mary Baker Eddy speaks of this permanence in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “All of God's creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible” (p. 514). Seen from this spiritual viewpoint, every plant, insect, and animal—living in the deepest ocean, or on the highest mountaintop—is harmless, in other words, without harm. That means they are as incapable of inflicting harm as they are of experiencing it. All spiritual ideas are useful; every living creature is the spiritual proof that God is acting, knowing, and being. Each of Spirit’s loved ideas is indestructible; it is never subject to oblivion, because God is eternal Mind and all of His creation is kept safely in thought. He delights in all of His creatures too much to allow extinction to exist in His universe. I love Mrs. Eddy’s view of the relationship between God and His forever-loved creation: “Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud” (Science and Health, p. 518). We can rest assured—whether it’s a salamander, seahorse, or any spiritual idea—there can be no decline, destruction, or extinction for any of them. All are kept safe in the protective embrace of God, divine Love. Scurry over to my mountaintop moments page to see photos of adorable baby Chameleons! All Things Bright and Beautiful
by Cecil F. Alexander 1848 All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all. Each little flow’r that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. The purple-headed mountains, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brightens up the sky. The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water, We gather every day;-- He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all. I don’t have a green thumb. Although I do have a few plants, they’re survivalists in my house. A few weeks ago, I noticed one of my Schefflera plants had gotten spindly and sparse. I found some sharp clippers and started cutting. Before I knew it, I had a big pot of dirt with some sticks coming out of it. I felt bad. What had I done to that poor plant?! The incident reminded me of a passage from the Bible in the book of John that says, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2, New International Version). What does this “pruning” look like in our lives? I see it this way: Because God causes us to express Him perfectly, whatever isn’t like Him falls away—is purged from us. God doesn’t allow any spindly sparseness in His creation, because it’s not like Him. God’s creation only includes that which is productive and leads us to Him—promotes our spiritual growth. He has created us to express Him in all His abundance and power. Without us, His spiritual image and likeness, “He would be without a witness or proof of His own nature” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 303). Some years ago, I had a friendship that looked a lot like that spindly plant I trimmed back. It had potential to grow, and I was waiting to see if it would. But it left me feeling unsatisfied, like a plant that was going in every direction but up. It wasn’t producing joy, satisfaction, and spiritual growth. Although it might seem obvious that the relationship needed a change, it wasn’t to me at the time. Like the plant, it existed, and it looked OK on the surface. I guess I wasn’t sure if it needed pruning, but I was open to it. Demanding a change in a friendship—sometimes even needing to end it—is difficult. You might even see what needs to happen, but you don’t have the courage to follow through. Or, you may think it’s going to take a productive turn at any moment, so you stick with it. That’s how it was with me. I just wasn’t sure what needed to happen. So, I did what I always do when I don’t know what to do: I asked God to help me. My prayer at the time was a simple one. It revolved around a psalm that says, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. It is good for me to draw nigh to God” (Psalms 73:25, 26, 28). And that’s what I did. Every day I affirmed that my only desire was to know God better—to draw nearer to Him. Whatever was in my life that promoted that goal, I wanted. Whatever didn’t promote a better understanding of God and myself as His offspring, I was willing to part with. The shortened version of my prayer was, “Prune me, God!” After some months, I started to notice that I wasn’t as interested in that relationship as I had been. There was no conversation that ended it. Like my plant’s spindly and sparse branches, the friendship was pruned away. I appreciate God’s help in that trimming work. And the result has been new growth. Other friendships that have been productive and satisfying have taken its place. So what about my little plant? It’s growing, too. Not many days after I cut it back I saw a tiny green sprout on one of the bare sticks. I clapped and encouraged it! A few days later, I saw many more sprouts. Today, it’s well on its way to being full and productive. I was happy to experience new growth, and it looks like my plant is, too. Some citations to consider in your own pruning lesson: The Bible: Psalm 73:25,26,28 Psalm 51:7 Science and Health: 303:25-30 Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy: 151:6-9 Picture your extended family, what do you see? A family tree, with its trunk rooted firmly in the ground, and its branches sticking out at all angles? Or do you picture the sun, with you, and all of your loved family members as individual rays? In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy tells us that God is "at once the centre and circumference of being." Which means that a picture of God's family, the one and only family there really is, would look like the sun. God's at the center, and all of His individual ideas shine out from Him like rays of light. God delights in each member of His family of ideas. He loves them! And He declares them to be very good. If you want to get along better with your spouse, a family member, or even a friend, a good place to start is to see that each one of us has a direct connection with God, Love--the one and only Creator. In fact, you'll never meet anyone who has a different Creator than divine Love. Keeping our thought of those we know out of the ground, and accepting the Love-centered spiritual view of each other, helps us to value those around us. If God is delighting in His family, so can we! Pop on over to Mountaintop Moments to read what Mrs. Eddy has to say about getting together with others! The recipe for today’s countdown over in Mountaintop Moments (scroll down to December 21) reminds me of Christmas. When I was growing up, Mom always made Chocolate Chip Applesauce Loaf Cake—Chocolate Chip Bread, as my brother and I called it. Just the smell of it baking in the oven can transport me back to when I was a little girl--excited for the arrival of Christmas day! Like this Christmastime goodie, there may be things you smell, hear, or taste, that remind you of certain situations, or even people: “Every time I smell roses, I think of Aunt Mary.” Although this is a harmless example, sometimes these “associations” aren’t so positive. Maybe you’ve found yourself thinking something like this before: “Every time I work in my garden, I wake up sore.” Often, these connections aren’t personal; they’re general. “It’s December—flu season!” We may feel we’re destined to experience the consequences of certain associations, but in fact, we’re not. In my own life, I’ve found it helpful to break free from their negative—but avoidable—effects by seeing them as Saint Paul did. In the Bible, he called evil, harmful thoughts, “the carnal mind,” and showed us how we can overcome these thoughts that obviously reject God, good. Why wouldn’t we want to be proactive in addressing this so-called mortal mind, which is daily making mental connections that lead to misconceptions and problems? Another way to think of these associations is as “associative animal magnetism.” That’s a mouthful, but simply put, it stands for the thoughts that lead us to associate an action, time, person, or object, with a negative effect. This ultimately results in pulling us down—making us feel like we’re magnets for unhappiness, dissatisfaction, even sickness. Spiritual thinker, and author, Mary Baker Eddy, discovered this link, and wrote about it, back in the 19th Century. She said, “Disease arises, like other mental conditions, from association” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 154). Following this statement with an example on the same page, Mrs. Eddy gave an account of a man who was told he was occupying the bed of a patient who had died of cholera—a disease considered to be highly contagious in the early 1800s. He immediately developed the symptoms of the disease and died. OK, that’s a dramatic example. And while you won’t find yourself in a situation like that, you might find yourself in an office full of people talking about flu symptoms and begin to experience them yourself. So how do you protect yourself from these false mental connections? A good place to start is with another name for God—Mind. Since there is only one God, there is only one Mind. Every legitimate and good thought comes from this one and only divine Mind. The carnal, or mortal mind, that makes connections leading to sickness, despair, or suffering can’t possibly tell you the truth about anything, because as Paul pointed out to the Romans back in Bible times, “The carnal mind is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). Only the Mind that is also Truth, can give you the true picture of things. When faced with associative animal magnetism and its ill effects, you can remember this instruction from Mrs. Eddy: “Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts” (Science and Health, p. 261:4). Those good, health-giving thoughts from Mind are the perfect remedy. And they’re even sweeter than Mom’s Chocolate Chip Bread on Christmas morning! (scroll down to December 21 after clicking on the link)
Music isn’t a human invention; where there’s rhythm, harmony, and joy—there’s God. After all, God is the source of these spiritual qualities. Since music is divine, it transcends human limitations. Time has no bearing on the joy music gives. Think of the glorious musical scores by composers like Mozart or Bach, written so long ago. Neither can distance cancel the strength of music’s lasting connections. Music can also bypass the material senses—we can know harmonious tones on a spiritual level, when our ears aren’t even listening to them. Our spiritual sense tells us when a piece of music has washed over us in such a way that we’ll never be the same. Through our spiritual sense, we feel the harmony that puts a spring in our step, and the uplift that puts a smile on our faces—long after a great concert is over. Mrs. Eddy put it this way, “Mental melodies and strains of sweetest music supersede conscious sound. Music is the rhythm of head and heart” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 213).
I still remember with amazement the evening my old college friend from twenty years before—and many miles away—called me. He had been working in his garage that day, and one of our favorite songs had come on the radio. The call was unexpected, because I hadn’t heard from him in years. But honestly, it wasn’t that surprising. I had been cleaning out an old bench of sheet music, and had played the same piece of music on my piano that afternoon. It was astonishing to realize we had relived the connection of those musical memories—at almost the same moment—all those years and miles later. I felt God winking at us both. Musical connections have their source in Soul—the artsy name for God. The inspiration behind a moving composition, lyrics that make us think, or even a catchy advertising jingle—leading us directly to the store—comes from Soul, which creates all melody and expresses all harmony. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been moved by music in some way. God is eternal, and since music has its source in Him, the power of music is nothing new. The Bible gives an account of Solomon dedicating the temple he’s built for God. (See 2 Chronicles, chapter 5.) Music was a valued part of the temple’s magnificence. The instruments were placed alongside the silver and gold. They, and the harmony they would surely express, were as treasured as the precious metals. What a powerful scene as the music began to play in Solomon’s new temple: “As the trumpeters and singers were as one…and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music…then the house was filled with a cloud…for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles, 5:13-14). As you’re enjoying this music video by the group Pentatonix, and all of the other music you’ll be hearing this Christmas season, remember that music expresses the glory of God, and helps us feel connected to Him. “Music is more than sound in unison....Music is divine” (Message to The Mother Church, 1900, p. 11). |
AuthorI hope these insights will inspire readers to think more spiritually about themselves and the world around them! Archives
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