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Divine intent, a bigger influence than time
Has time ever disappeared briefly for you? Did you ever wonder where the last three hours went? Or, the last thirty years?
On another clock, did an extra 15 minutes ever appear to allow you to finish a project?
“Time is not a factor in your life,” was the title of a talk given recently by David Hohle, of Chicago, Illinois, in the Upper Room at the United Presbyterian “Red Door” Church in Oneonta. The talk was hosted by the Oneonta Christian Science Society in the Upper Room, entered by means of the elevated walkway from Roosevelt Avenue. The Society also meets there for regular church services.
But while listening to Hohle speak, I found myself admiring the large beautiful stain glass window in the background.
Obviously in the past, the window started with many piles of colored glass. Pieces were cut from the stained glass and then connected to showcase order, appeal, inspiration, and even a sense of transcendence.
But it’s the light that makes the indescribable goodness possible.
At the talk, I heard Hohle mention “revelation” and “divine intent.”
Yes, I really did pay attention.
I interpreted the revelation and divine intent as light, shining through ideas that counter restrictions, such as time.
Hohle pointed out what physical science teaches, the relativity of time. He also noted that religious thinkers came to the same conclusion millenniums ago.
Hohle read from the King James Version of the Bible. He also read from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Mary Baker Eddy’s lifespan was from 1821 to 1910. She published her Science and Health in 1875, however she revised the book hundreds of times until her death and explained in Science and Health that revisions are “requisite,” because “spiritual ideas unfold as we advance.”
Certainly, Eddy’s Science and Health is not the Bible, yet it talks about the Bible, and because the household Bible of the 19th century was King James Version, that’s the one she quoted.
Modern Science and Health revisions quote modern Bibles, to correspond.
Anyway, I went home to locate in the English Standard Version a verse Hohle read from II Peter. It reads, “Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
God can have greater influence on our life than time. A good God with good ideas that come to us through revelation or divine intent. Can they be cut and connected to showcase order, wellbeing, and safety?
I think so.
Whether I’m trying to understand better the current political situation or world events, I see the benefits of first understanding God better, of responding to revelation or divine intent, rather than to religious or political ideology.
We all have the capability to receive revelation or light, whether in religion or politics. Therefore, I see the wisdom of many versions and freedom of speech. For the news, I don’t only read one newspaper. I read at least three newspapers to try to get a bigger picture.
I use time or text as tools, not a truth.
Only truth is truth.
When I’m conscious of divine intent, or let light shine through me, rather than block the light with dread, frustration, or anger, I can experience fewer constraints.
Not all constraints have dropped away in my life, maybe they don’t need to. I still respect time, however it’s nice knowing and watching the possibility that time doesn’t have to control my life. It’s nice becoming familiar with the influence of divine intent on life.
Cheryl Petersen is a freelance writer and covers religion. Her website is www.HealingScienceToday.com
