A cheerful heart

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Christian Science and Medical Treatment

Cheryl Petersen is author of:

21st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: A modern version of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health

from science & religion to God: A briefer narrative of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health

Recognize harmony

“When the curse of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and Spirit’s idea. Allow nothing but Soul’s likeness to prevail in your thought. Do not let fear or doubt eclipse your clear sense and calm trust in Truth. The recognition of life harmonious—as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.”–21st Century Science and Health

A courageous younger generation

When the temperature dropped to the lower 20s Fahrenheit, the other day, I dressed in multiple layers with a wind resistant coat, fuzzy hat, scarf, mittens, thick socks, and heavy boots, to head out the door for my daily walk.

Outside, stepping along at a quick pace to keep the blood flowing, I practiced the gratitude attitude. My thoughts aimed toward a God with a power greater and wiser than my own.

Near the end of my two mile walk, about quarter mile from the house, I saw a young man walking toward me, wearing a tee-shirt, pants, and tennis shoes. I unwrapped the scarf from my nose and mouth and said, “Wow, I like the cold but you’re braver than me, outside without a coat.”

He stopped, removed ear-pods from his ears and said, “What?”

I repeated myself.

He said, “I’m walking to school.”

“Which school?” I asked.

“BOCES.”

“That’s far,” I said, based on my knowledge that the BOCES college was not within the six-mile radius that I walked regularly.

“Not really. I missed the bus, and my grandma won’t take me to school.”

“I’ll get my car to take you to school. It’s red,” I said and started walking home.

“I’ll keep walking.”

“Good idea,” I yelled back as I’d already made the distance between us greater.

I slow-jogged back home, got my car, and picked him up.

“Tell me how to get to BOCES,” I said.

“I don’t really know because I always sleep on the bus,” he said.

“Well, I think its in the next town,” I said and drove in that direction.

He described to me his circumstances: high school student who attended parttime college class. Mean grandma, drunk stepdad. But he got along with his younger brother.

I said, “Yes, it’s unfortunate when our living conditions aren’t ideal, but we can learn to deal with them patiently. Keep going to school, keep being nice, and keep sober. Don’t go down with others, stay up.”

He didn’t argue. I then noticed he carried an apron and asked, “Are you studying culinary at BOCES?”

“Yes,” he perked up. “I assist the chef.”

Because of my past experience as a journalist who had interviewed culinary students at another BOCES in another county, we talked about the program and I made the remark, “It’s a skill you can take with you anywhere in the world. Good for you.”

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Cheryl. I work at the library.”

“The Albert Wisner library?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I love that library. Turn left here,”

I turned left and soon saw the BOCES School. He directed me to the proper place to drop off students.

We’d driven eight and half miles. He lived nine and half miles from school.

I told him I’d give him my phone number. “If you need another ride.”

He took out his cellphone and entered my number, while saying, “My cold fingers are moving slow.” Then looked at me and said genuinely, “Thank you for bringing me to school.”

From Ecclesiastes: “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”

Live Contemporary Christian Science Sermon

To receive an invite to join a virtual meet-up, Saturday, 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, email 4CherylWrites(@)gmail.com

Two readers will read from the Bible and 21st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: A modern version of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health.

The human mind isn’t a feature of reality

fea·ture /ˈfēCHər/ nose, eye, story, trait, attribute, highlight

Contrary to popular belief, there is no escape from human mind, materiality, suffering, or sin except on the Principle that infinite Mind is the only Life and Intelligence of creation. When we admit the Principle of one Intelligence, we can manifest the one and only living consciousness of Spirit and spirituality.

Divine reality consists of Spirit-substance, imaged forth by our individual expression of spirituality, substantially intact with Life.

The light of Love emits light spontaneously

The ever-revealing Truth is changing the universe. Progress removes restraints. The finite yields to the infinite.  Although we’re trained to disregard mind over matter, or healing that defy conventional biology and genetics, we find nothing in matter and ask for more light.

We progress spontaneously, as light emits light, when we regard creation from the standpoint of Soul, eternal Life, instead of from personal realities or illusive matter.

Divine Mind vs human mind

God, the all-knowing divine Mind does not know the short-lived human mind. To know the human mind is not to know divine Mind. To know divine Mind is to recognize that the human mind is unknowable because it constantly vacillates between spirituality and materiality, good and bad, adoration and fear, joy and grief, mistakes and fixes, birth and death.

Human mind may think it knows what health is, until it’s lost. It may think it’s experiencing out-of-body spirituality until it quits absorbing hallucinogenic drugs. Human mind may think it’s creating a life-changing adventure until it removes the Oculus headset. The human mind is easily fooled.

Without the Principle of the Science of Life to interpret existence, views of reality are taken on blind faith and trigger conflicting opinions and behaviors that reduce the wholeness of life to a menagerie of personal beliefs, fears, pleasures, pains, haves and have nots.

With the Principle of the Science of Life to interpret existence, views of reality are taken on a trust in the infinite divine Mind, complete with inspired thoughts, creativity, and actions that manifest restoration, restructuring, the greater dimension of wellbeing. The infinite is achieved only as we turn from the finite. Light is seen only as we stop looking at the darkness. Unlimited wellbeing is experienced only as we stop applying limited human knowledge. Health is more reliably known when sought for and found in its Principle, divine Mind. Health is a state of Mind, Truth, Love.

Giving to Life

Give to the natural sciences that to which it belongs, the hierarchical mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms, the change, mutation, evolution, and vulnerability to extinction.

Give to the Science of Life that to which it belongs, Principle, Soul, Life eternal, with no beginning or end, God, intelligence, force, spirituality, health, delight. The living atmosphere. Us.

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”[1]

God, the all-knowing divine Mind does not know the short-lived human mind. To know the human mind is not to know divine Mind. To know divine Mind is to recognize that the human mind is unknowable because it constantly vacillates between good and bad, adoration and fear, joy and grief, mistakes and fixes, birth and death.

Human mind may think it knows what health is, until it’s lost. It may think it’s experiencing out-of-body spirituality until it quits absorbing hallucinogenic drugs or time passes. Human mind may think it’s creating a life-changing adventure until it removes the Oculus headset. The human mind is easily fooled.

Without the Principle of the Science of Life to interpret existence, views are taken on blind trust and trigger conflicting opinions and behaviors that reduce the wholeness of life to a menagerie of personal beliefs, fears, pleasures, pains, haves and have nots. With the Principle of the Science of Life to interpret existence, views are taken on a trust in the infinite divine Mind, complete with inspired thoughts and actions that manifest restoration, renewal, and restructuring.

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[1] Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:25

The Science of Truth, and flexibility