‘Love is everything’ we are told. It runs the world, makes it go round. It also holds things together, inspires minds, reminds us we are One. It brings an ineffable feeling when we connect. Love doesn’t exist on its own, it exists in connection, expression and being.

In my work I see words about love, acts that indicate love is understood and expressed, but sometimes I see a lack of love in the person for themselves as God’s creation. They don’t love themselves, not in a selfish way, but in a way that recognises they are united within Universal good, God. They are God, expressed. They somehow leave themselves outside of that Divine Love and abundance of All that Is. Outside of the care that is there. How can they be outside of All in All?

Separated from Love Divine, because they don’t include themselves in the abundance of life, they are good at seeing it in others but they miss their place in God’s kingdom. If they can see they are part of that Love, they will see they cannot be in pain, stress, illness, dis-ease of any sort. To love the individual they are, the individual expression of God, as each one of us has been created to be, they will see they are inside, not outside of All is Well. They are an expression of the Great I AM. They were born into that, their birthright is Love and their home is Love. It has never been anything else. It is a disservice not to love ourselves and understand completely what they really means. To love the individual God created, is to de-personify that all-encompassing Love that runs the show. It is there. It is you. You are it. Everyone is in it together. No one can be separate from God’s love, it’s like trying to separate the voice from the song. The answer to the question ‘Who am I?’ is to know there is no separation but there is individual expression. There is a difference. Each one of us expresses different unique qualities, in addition to the many that are common to all. If we are of One then there is nothing else. It is as simple at that.

We just need to get in the right lane.

If you don’t know it … You are loved. Beyond all human understanding. You are always under the wings of the Almighty. You shine the Love that is ineffable. You have Love above, around, below, within. You cannot be apart from it. You can never be separated. Now you can see how lovely it is to love that truth. That’s you loving yourself. And suddenly, the door is open to truly love one another. Naturally. Just as dawn breaks.

Yes, but when? It is breaking when we know it is Truth which resides permanently in our lives, maintaining its presence of peace, When we realise it is ours by birthright, it dawns on us that we can have that at any moment of time in a twenty-four hour period. A hymn which brings tears to my eyes whenever I read it says:

From sense to Soul my pathway lies before me,

From mist and shadow into Truth’s clear day;

The dawn of all things real is breaking o’er me,

My heart is singing: I have found the way.

Isn’t that just gently reminding us what we already know? That all we need is right here, now, and leaning into that cushion of Divine Love is a choice. We can make that choice more often.

It is certainly a beautiful thing. You know that, you have felt it sometimes. Have it all the time, go on. It’s yours.

Blessings.

From Sense to Soul my pathway lies before me,
From mist and shadow into Truth’s clear day;
The dawn of all things real is breaking o’er me,
My heart is singing; I have found the way.

I reach Mind’s open door, and at its portal
I know that where I stand is holy ground;
I feel the calm and joy of things immortal,
The loveliness of Love is all around.

The way leads upward and its goal draws nearer,
Thought soars enraptured, fetterless and free;
The vision infinite to me grows clearer,
I touch the fringes of eternity.

Violet Hay, Hymn 64 Christian Science Hymnal

Cup of something warm, gazing into the middle distance, quietly pondering life and it’s opportunities, and part of hymn 342 in the Christian Science Hymnal came to mind for 2023.

‘This is the day the Lord hath made, be glad, give thanks, rejoice’ – this applies to every moment, or year or potion of what seems divided. Time is immaterial to Love, Life or joy and that means everything at any one time is filled with God – Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Principle, Spirit, Mind – divine, supreme. *

And so today, this week, month and year we can rejoice and give thanks and maybe even do a little victory dance!

*(S&H pg 465,line 8 for What is God?)

and joy, and love and Christ at Christmas

Love to all and All in Love

In the Hebrew Bible, it is a compound word, from hallelu, meaning “to praise joyously,” and yah, a shortened form of the unspoken name of God. So this “hallelujah” is an active imperative, an instruction to the listener or congregation to sing tribute to the Lord.

Reflecting on this year, as one does around now just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, I have noticed how the world has responded to many of the surprising and unexpectedly awful  things that have happened in 2022.  Along with the sense of knowing wrongdoing, and calling it out, there is a larger sense of standing firm for truth and principle. Hallelujah.

Integrity is a vital part of a spiritual life. Life rests on it.  We cannot find our way through the fog of human strife without a way mark of some sort.  More and more comment is made stating truths than those falling for easy abuse, erroneous labels and slanging matches.  The balance or what is visible is tipping.  Compassion’s voice is louder, kindness is being seen, love is being expressed.  It always was there but it seems to be more vocal than the ‘other’ shouts.  People are no longer remaining silent, or remaining in fear of being put down.  Some have nothing more to lose, others are merely finding their voice and feeling comfortable with that, regardless of the possibility of negative feedback.  We are on an upward arc of care and people are wanting to take their place in line to claim out loud that the Light within all of us is getting brighter.  

A great deal of prayer has been going on for so long and there is more evidence now of a groundswell, a change of mind and direction.  Love was always standing firm, but now more are taking their place alongside what they feel is whole, pure, upright and free.  They feel that sense of peace that it brings and a sense of knowing, ineffable.  For some it is a sense of coming home, for other’s a matter of principle.  What was once hard to find, hold on to or even grasp is being held aloft on shoulders and celebrated.  Hallelujah indeed.

Thank you God for this fantastic year.  You brought us clearer sight of Love divine, joy recognised and lived, hope in abundance and the change of heart and mind that makes a heaven on earth not a dream anymore, but a certainty.

To God, thank you

To Life, thank you

To joy, thank you

Thank you on this day of Thanksgiving.

Yes, there are times when we have prayed, lifted thought, felt buoyed by quotes or videos,  friends or publications . There are other times when nothing fits, thoughts can’t be lifted, ideas don’t come, there is a big fat nothing inspiring us.  

In those moments even the smallest effort towards spirituality can seem impossible.  Many of us have had these times.  I did. You can cut and paste your own issue in here, because it doesn’t matter what or why it is.

 I had no more questions, I had exhausted those. I had no more requests, they felt unanswered. I had no more to lift myself with, I was empty. I couldn’t ‘get’ it.   

 I did seem to have energy to just to go God and wait, staying quiet and asking for nothing, expecting nothing. It was a place of peace. Like it says in the Bible:

‘Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you’

James 4:8

Things didn’t change, they didn’t shift at all, things around me got worse.  But my ability to be calm and stay in the present moment with God did work.  He did draw nigh unto me. I did have times where I just cried with frustration, when the next round of nonsense showed up, of course, but it was short-lived.  I returned to God’s arms.  I drew nigh to Him. Without expectation.  I got accustomed to just doing that several times a day  I stopped asking why, judging myself for lack of understanding, wishing I was better ‘at it’, wanting to know what else I could do etc. I  moved away from self-condemnation, doubt and fear.  I gave it all up.  It wasn’t helping.

I am still in this place, and I suspect I will always be now that I have got here.  It’s easier than ranting or wailing or wanting to fling cups of tea at the wall. I wanted to write from this place, because it is a good place, it is a safe place and a peaceful place.  And really that’s all we need. No matter what is going on.  

What’s going to happen now? I dunno.  What should I do next? Haven’t a clue.  Are things  going to change? No use asking me.

It’s okay in Nigh-town.  It is the healing. What can be better than finding one’s home base. A foundation of such love and care.  Anything else is added value. I don’t need to know anything else because God is just there all the time.  If He wants to let me know something He will, if He wants to guide me I will hear.  And that applies to all of us sincere seekers of Truth. I am just going to stay Nigh to God, and not get caught up in anything else. Every new day is another day in God’s care.  A new day to be glad, give thanks and rejoice.  Whatever else going on.

During my holiday this year I went to a tea plantation nearby in Ashburton, part of Dartmoor here in Devon. It isn’t a place you would normally consider a tea growing area, but somehow it works. After the tour our small group made Japanese sweets to go with the different teas we were going to sample. The inspiration for those sweets was to be taken from the surrounding wildlife. You can see what I chose. We all wondered what the collective noun for ladybirds was, and to our delight, when we checked online, it turned out to be ‘a loveliness’.

It made me wonder about collective nouns for other things, and what a collective noun for ‘God’s children’ might be? Well, God isn’t a group, we know that, but children turned out to be ‘an ingratitude of children’. It made me laugh, and I wondered who thought that up. A grumpy parent by the sounds of it!

Because the day had been so harmonious with everyone showing their kindness and care, their creativity and their appreciation, it filled me with joy to know that, in the world that seems incredibly difficult at the moment, everywhere there are pockets of people living in harmony. There are people praying and being uplifted. There are people not being taken in by the picture being presented to us, living with hearts of hope and faith. We know that the we all express qualities of God (truth, love, life etc) – every man, woman and child. So where is the greater power? Right there in every one of us. We don’t need to be fooled by fear or instability, but we do need to stand our spiritual ground for what is the underlying truth for all Mankind. We are the loved of God. Our birthright is peace. Our home is heaven. Right now.

We know that our are energy supplier is God and that He/She is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Here is the section that explains the all encompassing sense of God …

‘Question. — What is God?

Answer. — God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love.

Question. — Are these terms synonymous?

Answer. — They are. They refer to one absolute God. They are also intended to express the nature, essence, and wholeness of Deity. The attributes of God are justice, mercy, wisdom, goodness, and so on.

Question. — Is there more than one God or Principle?

Answer. — There is not. Principle and its idea is one, and this one is God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Being, and His reflection is man and the universe. Omni is adopted from the Latin adjective signifying all. Hence God combines all-power or potency, all-science or true knowledge, all-presence. The varied manifestations of Christian Science indicate Mind, never matter, and have one Principle.’
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 465:8–6)

So, when we are aware of the all-ness of God, good, we have all we need by reflection, at any and every point. In abundance, not lack, and as a birthright for every single one of God’s creation. Us. Right now.

Turn it on!

It is heartening to know that God’s grace, His unmerited love, help and divine assistance is here for us. Now. For the world.  Even if we don’t work hard for it, beg for it, or plead.  Even if we don’t behave in ways that would seem to respect that love, or pray for it, it is there. Divine Love is so expansive, all encompassing and eternal that it seemingly doesn’t even notice that mankind is off centre, or out of sorts. ‘All is not well’ is currently where ‘All is Well’ should rightly be.

God is working his purpose out. The first verse of this  hymn speaks beautifully of this:  

God is working His purpose out

As year succeeds to year,

God is working His purpose out

And the time is drawing near;

Nearer and nearer draws the time,

The time that shall surely be,

When the earth shall be filled with

the glory of God

As the waters cover the sea.

We feel better when we are aligned, but many in the world are worried, distressed and frightened and the changes needed can feel heavily burdensome on the right actions of governments, systems, commerce, and industry.  This next verse asks what we can do:

What can we do to work God’s work,

To prosper and increase

The brotherhood of all mankind,

The reign of the Prince of Peace?

What can we do to hasten the time,

The time that shall surely be,

When the earth shall be filled with

the glory of God

As the waters cover the sea?

and the final verse reminds us that we have the strength of God, the light of Christ in front of us, and with those immeasurable joys that are ours by birthright, the love and truth we can see the evidence unfold merely by knowing it ourselves.  It is done.

March we forth in the strength of God

With the banner of Christ unfurled,

That the light of the glorious Gospel of truth

May shine throughout the world;

Fight we the fight with sorrow and sin,

To set their captives free,

That the earth may be filled with

the glory of God

As the waters cover the sea.

(Christian Science Hymnal, No.  82:1–3)

Blessings to you all, may your lives begin to realise the earth that is filled with the Glory of God.