— Spiritual Perspectives —
For Thine is the Kingdom

Barbara Russell

By Barbara Russell
Special to the Independent

It is so tempting to think that I am the one who is “doing” my life. When I am doing well I want to take the credit, and when I mess up I feel bad. These verses caught my eye from last week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and they glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” (Psalms 63: 1, 2)

Acknowledging God as the source of my being gives me lots of freedom, confidence, and power. It gives me freedom because acknowledging Him as the source of my being reminds me that I am made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1), and this means I am harmonious, loving, intelligent, generous. I express these spiritual qualities naturally because they are qualities of God that are expressed through every person, and through all of God’s full creation. Sometimes it is hard to see these qualities in myself and others, and that is where the discipline and work comes in. That is why I need to seek him early, before the busy-ness of the day. Because He is the foundation of my creativity and harmony — in my business, my family, and other relationships. When I yield to His power I feel “under the shadow of His wing” (Psalms 91) — comforted, inspired, joyful in the activity of my life.

Through Christian Science I have learned that God is harmony. He is the creator and source of everything, and “God saw everything He had made and behold, it was very good.” If He made everything, and it was very good, then “it’s all good” as the saying goes. This is not to trivialize evil, but to know that evil has no real foundation (because God did not make it) and therefore can be overcome in my thinking and my life by knowing and living the truth about God and His creation.

I recently asked a friend how he was doing, and he complained about a physical problem that he was struggling with. He said he thought he might have to deal with it for the rest of his life. I said “You don’t have to accept that,” and he said, “I know! I am not claiming it! I am not claiming anything bad for myself, only good.” This, in my mind, is an example of “it’s all good.” Even when it looks bad, you and I can claim only good for ourselves and others based on the spiritual fact that God created everything good and it’s His goodness that is unfolding in our lives. By claiming this consistently, we participate in seeing God’s creation as the only creation — and this results in healing. We are letting Him express Him, through us.

In my landscape design business I have to “make hay while the sun shines” and it can seem a bit overwhelming at times. I can get a little wrapped up in my schedule. The other day I called the bank to see why the heck I could not access my accounts online. I needed it fixed right now. I did not act impatient with the bank lady but I felt it and wished she would respond better and give me better customer service.

She was not one of those who thoughtfully keep you posted as they are thinking about how to handle the problem, so there were some silences. But I did listen to God’s voice and waited, outwardly patient. She said she would need to look into it and would call me back.

Several hours later she had not called me, and I started to feel more frustrated and irritated. Then I thought maybe she had fixed it and I could look online and see. Sure enough, it was fixed! I was so happy that I had not reacted in a negative and blaming way, but I was still a little miffed that she had not called me to let me know that it was fixed. And then I thought, “I could call and thank her for fixing it!” Don’t you love these new insights? So I did and it felt really good. God was “doing” my life — spreading His loving kindness.

Having my quiet time with God in the morning before I get involved in projects results in everything I need being available at the right time — jobs to do, helpful clients, help with projects, inspiration and ideas, and time to get it all done.

I’m so grateful that God is doing my life. It brings to mind a song from the Christian Science hymnal: “A grateful heart a garden is, Where there is always room for every lovely Godlike grace to come to perfect bloom.”

Barbara Russell is a member of the Christian Science Group of Gallup, a 24/7 church without walls. For more information about the ideas discussed here, check out www.spirituality.com or call locally (505) 722-0357.

This column is written by area residents, representing different faith communities, who share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues. For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at The Independent: (505) 863-6811 ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.