I've been giving the 10 commandments a closer look by blogging about one of them each Friday. This is the last week. We've made it to number 10! If you missed some, you can scroll down for the last ten blogs on the topic. The last commandment is: Thou shalt not covet. In other words, we shouldn’t wish with all our hearts that we had what someone else has. To gaze longingly at the lives of others blinds us to the good that’s already right in front of us. To understand this commandment more fully, I like to start with the nature of God. God is Love itself. In the textbook of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy refers to God as “the great Giver” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 112). It follows then, that Love is the great Giver. We are all part of God’s loved creation. God is our divine Parent, and because He is Love itself, and we are His loved offspring, He delights in us all equally. “Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals” (Science and Health, p. 13). God doesn't give more to one of His children than another. These may seem like faraway ideas that will happen someday—maybe one day when we’re spiritual, we’ll be with God and He’ll help us. But, in my study of Christian Science, I’ve learned that our spiritual nature—the only nature we really have—is present here and now. Because we are Spirit’s likeness, our identities are spiritual in this moment. We aren’t waiting to become spiritual. In fact, all of the abundantly infinite goodness of Spirit is present for the seeing. We don’t have to wish we had what someone else has because... we all have it all. That’s right. Just like on that famous Oprah show where she gave away new cars to the studio audience. We all get it all! Well, Oprah may be wealthy and generous, but not as much as the great Giver, divine Love! What He gives us are ideas, and those ideas are infinite, present, tangible, and meet the human need, right now, today. Some years ago, my husband was unemployed for a time. Doing without that paycheck for who knew how long was daunting. But, every day we listened for divine direction. My husband went on interviews, many of which didn’t pan out, but we knew that we were cared for. Why? Because it’s Love’s nature to provide for Her children. Our need was met with intelligent and creative ideas: My husband looked for and found odd jobs, my public practice of Christian Science became busier, we thought of ways to decrease our everyday spending, and therefore, decrease our normal bills. All of this came together to meet our need. We never wished we had what others had. We could see the present need being met and we could feel the promise of tomorrow bringing the same, and even greater supply. Eventually, my husband got a new job, and we also had a new view of how God supplies our need and everyone else’s. Holding on to the fact that we all have it all keeps the 10th commandment to not covet. Who needs to covet what others have when all the good our divine Father has is right here for the taking? We all get it all!
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AuthorI hope these insights will inspire readers to think more spiritually about themselves and the world around them! Archives
July 2018
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