The first lecture was held in the Sunday School of Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Buenos Aires, and was titled “Relationships: Friends, Foes, and More.” A colorful mural painted by church members and Sunday School students the night before illustrating the 5th Commandment (Honor thy father and thy mother) was hanging on the wall. This added to a warm, family feeling.

In the waning minutes before the lecture began, ushers added extra chairs to accommodate a large attendance. Then, the teenage daughter of two church members introduced Susie, as parents, children, extended family members, church members, Sunday School pupils, and guests all sat close together to think together about God’s love, our God-given capacity to love and be loved, and the divine law which brings harmony to all sorts of relationships.

Afterward, some people expressed gratitude for the simple, clear ideas of Christian Science which would bring healing to a feeling of division within families and the country. Another person appreciated the promise that while we may face conflict at times, we can still expect to be loved. Rounding out a successful evening, several newcomers purchased Science and Health.

When we arrived more than an hour early for the second lecture at Third Church of Christ, Scientist, Buenos Aires, we were happy to discover several members already present and prayerfully preparing. When attendees arrived to hear about “Adventures in the Good Life,” we knew they had made a special effort to attend because it was Mother’s Day.

During the lecture, attendees participated in interactive exercises which included quiet times to express gratitude and connect with God and a buoyant time spent pouring out radiant smiles as an expression of the “oil of gladness” (S&H, p.367). Attendees described these exercises afterward as “barbaro!” or “awesome!”

After the lecture, mothers were given flowers and one of them was a newcomer with eight children – what a welcome addition they would be to the Sunday School! When most of the attendees had left, we had fun throwing around a frisbee (an important prop from the lecture) with a 7-year old girl whose mother had introduced the lecture.

The third lecture, another version of “Adventures” sponsored by First Church, Santa Fe, was held at an ideal location for a youth lecture: a cozy theatre at the local university. When we arrived, students were hanging out and socializing in the lobby during their free time between other scheduled events. We gave them lecture invitations and several attended. Those invitees, plus two friends of a Sunday School student and others guests invited by members, contributed to the largest percentage of newcomers at a lecture that this church had ever seen before.

A short question and answer session followed the lecture, where Susie’s experience living in Spain helped her answer questions about the legitimacy of Christian Science in a predominantly Catholic country. There was an especially moving moment when a man gave a short testimony about how his medically diagnosed case of cancer was healed by giving up medicine and turning to prayer. Afterwards he came up to Susie, gave her a big hug, and thanked her for the message of Christian Science and the large need it was meeting. He then bought a copy of Science and Health to study himself – he had never heard of it before.

By Susie and Jay Jostyn

Follow TMC Youth’s Susie Jostyn and her husband Jay as they travel through Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Susie will be giving youth lectures and TMC Youth presentations, and will be hosting Sunday School workshops and various youth meetings.

I can’t argue with the basic premise that simply thinking happy thoughts is not a cure-all to the world’s ills. Christian Science is sometimes criticized as a faith filled with Pollyanna types that pretend there is nothing wrong instead of taking action. But can all promoters of positive thinking really be written off as foolish just because they have not solved every problem known to mankind? Maybe, but I think there is more to it.

I was thinking that, if I start with the premise that thoughts come from the brain and cause electrical and chemical reactions, then I could possibly find evidence that positive thoughts create reactions that positively effect the body, but it would be very hard to find proof that those reactions have anything to do with improved relationships, finances, or any other experience outside the body. So Ms. Ehrenreich definitely would have a point if thought originates in brain.

But research, such as that described in Deepak Chopra’s book Life After Death in the chapter: “Thinking outside the brain,” has begun to hint at the idea that intelligence may not reside in the brain. Books and movies like The Secret and What the bleep do we know? give even more indications that thought may not have a basis in matter of any kind. So where does thought/intelligence come from? And can understanding this shed any light on how what one thinks can affect health, relationships, money, etc.?

Mary Baker Eddy had very radical things to say on this subject. She did not believe that brain had anything to do with thought, activity, intelligence—any of it. She believed, and felt she could prove, that the activity of thought and intelligence emanated from a single source—God. In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she states, “To measure intellectual capacity by the size of the brain and strength by the exercise of muscle, is to subjugate intelligence, to make mind mortal, and to place this so-called mind at the mercy of material organization and non-intelligent matter” (p. 165). She goes on to say, “Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual understanding, shows clearly that all is Mind, and that Mind is God, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, — that is, all power, all presence, all Science. Hence all is in reality the manifestation of Mind” (p. 275).

These statements hint at the idea that what we think is what controls our experience, whether it be our health or any other life experience, but that good thoughts are not the product of the brain but of spiritual consciousness. So, contrary to Ms. Ehrenreich’s conclusions, it would be possible that a happy thought has the power to improve situations.

The big difference between simple positive thinking exercises and Christian Science is that Mary Baker Eddy shows that there is a divine Principle at work in the universe that can be scientifically applied and practiced, and that one must begin to have an understanding of that Principle in order to demonstrate it consistently. She does not claim that ignoring problems or simply thinking better of one’s self is the answer. She demands scientific integrity from her theories, and offers evidence of experiment and practice as proof of the validity of her ideas.

So what do you think? Where is the seat of intelligence? And does “whistling a happy tune” keep the doctor away and make us wealthy, or is there more to it?
By Dawn-Marie Cornett

What does it mean to fall? What would make someone feel like they’ve fallen? Over the course of our lives, we encounter situations that may seem as if we haven’t lived up to the person each of us wholeheartedly desires to be. It may seem as if we have faltered, and there isn’t any way to be redeemed. We may have had our heart broken, felt betrayed, or that we are unable to trust ourselves or other people. It may be that we have been disappointed, or have disappointed others.

But what do these ideas suggest about man (that’s generic man—men, women, and children), anyway? That man is incomplete, searching for satisfaction outside of him or herself? That man is incapable of thinking clearly and reasoning rightly? Impossible.

Man is not fallen. Because man has never for an instant been out of reach of God, man has never for an instant been deprived of experiencing and expressing the highest nature of Love. Yet even as we work to understand the sinless nature of immortal man, the mere memory of past experiences may seem to weigh us down, as if they could keep us from progressing.

So, what about redemption? What is redemption, and what happens when we feel that our lives need to be redeemed? Redemption comes when you understand the purity of your spiritual nature, which is innate and inherent in each of us, forever intact and whole. Redemption means understanding the innocent and sinless nature of our lives.

Redemption is not about rectifying a human situation, working from the human up to the spiritual. We experience redemption when we start with the spiritual and wait patiently as our lives adjust, harmonizing with our understanding of God’s love for man. Just as our spiritual nature is as individual as the expression of our identity, God’s love for man is expressed to us in an infinite array of ways. Because man’s origin is of God alone, we are unable to experience anything beyond the reach of Love that encompasses our being.

Regardless of whatever seems to have happened on the human level, our purity and innocence goes on uninterrupted. Understanding that God’s Love is forever within reach, meeting us where we are at and supplying our needs, we are able to experience harmony in our day-to-day lives.

By Alanna Truog

Well, if looked at that way, you are right. We are to worship one God, divine Love, and not a mortal personality.

But there’s another way of loving yourself that doesn’t break the First Commandment of “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). It’s to love your identity made in the likeness of God.

Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t love themselves—and should. They may hate themselves, be depressed about their body, lack of relationships, accomplishments or success. They may even want to be someone else. They don’t see anything good about themselves at all. And, in spiritual fact, they are very good people. They are wonderful people, filled with merit, value and worth that needs to be acknowledged and noticed.

Each of us has a spiritual individuality that’s at one with God and it’s incredibly beautiful, gifted, deserving, intelligent, and talented.

As a child of God, you are marvelously special. You have a unique and valuable contribution to make to the master plan of life that is worthy of honor, respect and recognition. And a good place to begin that recognition is with your own perspective.

Like an original painting by a master artist, you are an original painting by The Master Artist—your heavenly Father-Mother. There will never be another you or another person like you. God made you to be wonderful, brilliant, and perfect in your own special unique way. You are a good person. You are filled with spiritual capacity and ability to do great works.

All the gifts you have to offer may not be apparent right now, but that’s okay. They will appear as your understanding of who you are as God’s image grows.

Sometimes we feel like a tightly closed rose bud that will eventually open and unfold into a full-blown rose. Until the petals open, though, the complete rose is not evident. With proper development, patience and nature’s course of events, the petals open and the beautiful creation within bursts into full-blown beauty and form.

God made you good. God made you worthy. You are an individual reflection of the infinite individuality and talent of God. What is true about God is true about you as God’s likeness in action.

So, get to know yourself—your spiritual self—made in the divine likeness. Find out how good you really are in God’s eyes, and love that creation. It’s OK to love yourself, your spiritual self. It’s the morally right thing to do.

By Evan Mehlenbacher

Con doce millones de habitantes, imponentes rascacielos, calles anchas, centros comerciales y restaurantes, Buenos Aires es una metrópoli moderna y cosmopolita, semejante a muchas grandes ciudades de EEUU. Sin embargo, hay diferencias también claras. Casas pequeñas, desvencijadas, de ladrillo descubierto y cemento con techos de chapa ondulada bordean partes de las autopistas principales – un signo de que hay pobreza que se profundiza en la ciudad. Como recordatorios de varios golpes militares, huellas de impactos de bala son todavía visibles en las paredes de un edificio gubernamental. En nuestro camino a la reunión preparatoria para apoyar nuestras actividades en la ciudad, el tránsito se detuvo. La principal avenida de 12 carriles por la ciudad fue cortada por una manifestación de trabajadores piqueteros en demanda de mejores empleos.

Aunque habíamos dejado nuestro hotel con tiempo de sobra, parecía que íbamos a perder la reunión preparatoria. Llamamos al lugar de la reunión y nos dijeron que los concurrentes en la iglesia escuchaban himnos y esperaban nuestra llegada. Oramos para saber que el Cristo – el mensaje tierno de amor, justicia, orden, sabiduría, e inspiración de Dios que abraza a la humanidad – hablaba a todos: conductores, piqueteros, policías en el lugar, el gobierno, nosotros, los que estaban en la reunión preparatoria, todos los que asistirían a nuestros eventos, y el mundo entero. Ninguna mentalidad material – nada – podría detener el mensaje del Cristo. Con una posición firme en oración en este y otros punto, sólo minutos después de que un policía nos recomendara tomar por calles alternativas para llegar en nuestro destino, la procesión de los piqueteros se detuvo permitiéndonos pasar con el vehículo.

Llegamos justo a tiempo para una reunión cálida e inspiradora. Nos sentamos en un círculo, reconociendo así la importancia y la voz de todos los involucrados. Nadie está en última fila cuando se trata de iglesia. Y así, muchos concurrentes compartieron cálidas cualidades de juventud que amaban, e ideas espirituales que formaban parte de sus oraciones en apoyo a los eventos de TMC Youth y muy especialmente las próximas conferencias.

Interesantemente, cuando comenzamos a hablar de Escuela Dominical, un joven y su pequeña hija (posiblemente “sin techo”) entraron por la puerta de la iglesia y se sentaron justo fuera de donde todos estaban reunidos. Susie los invitó a unirse al círculo y el hombre nos dijo como su hija estaba enferma y necesitaban dinero. Susie amorosamente explicó cómo las valiosas oraciones del grupo apoyaban a toda su familia, y cómo su hija podría ser beneficiada por la Escuela Dominical. Le fue dada una copia de Ciencia y Salud, otro miembro le dio pan, y después de permanecer un rato, se retiró.

Este incidente con un hombre al cual miembros habían visto antes inició una discusión acerca de cómo encarar algunos de los más grandes temas que enfrente la ciudad y la nación. Interesantemente, ideas que habían llevado a una curación física significativa para Susie el día anterior resultaron fuente poderosa para la conversación. El hecho espiritual que Dios, el Espíritu, es supremo, y todos nosotros vivimos, nos movemos y tenemos nuestro ser en Él y en su medio. Como hijos de Dios, no podemos estar divididos, ninguno de nosotros puede quedar afuera, y no podemos tener problema alguno que sea más grande que las capacidades del Espíritu infinito. No heredamos nuestra situación ni capacidades actuales de la historia pasada, condición material, ni de otras personas. Cada uno de nosotros tiene una relación con Dios y ningún poder ni influencia excepto la bondad del Cristo puede gobernar ni determinar nuestra experiencia. Solamente Dios, el Amor, nos puede tocar y Él nos trae ciertas bendiciones constantemente. El conocimiento de estos hechos es una fuerza curativa, no sólo para individuos sino también para comunidades.

Con estas ideas y más en mente, el grupo se sintió inspirado y preparado para los eventos venideros: una pintada de un mural, dos conferencias, una presentación de TMC Youth, un taller de Escuela Dominical, y una reunión con jóvenes.

Por Susie y Jay Jostyn

Sigan a Susie Jostyn de TMC Youth y su marido Jay a en su viaje por Chile, Argentina, Uruguay y Brasil. Susie estará ofreciendo conferencias para juventud, presentaciones de TMC Youth, dará talleres para Escuela Dominical y tendrá reuniones con jóvenes.

Our travels in Argentina began in Buenos Aires. Christian Science has deep roots here, with the first church being formed in 1921. Today, there are three churches and a society in the city and several more churches and societies in Greater Buenos Aires. With twelve million inhabitants, towering skyscrapers, wide streets, department stores, and restaurants, Buenos Aires is a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis, similar to many major US cities. Yet, there are also distinct differences.

Small, ramshackle, bare brick and mortar homes with wavy metal roofs line parts of a major roadway – a sign of deepening poverty in the city. As reminders of various military coups, bullet holes are still visible on the walls of a government building. And, on our way to a meeting to support our activities in the city, traffic came to a halt. The main, 12-lane street through the city was cut off by a demonstration of picketing workers demanding better jobs. Though we had left our hotel with plenty of time to spare, it began to look like we were going to miss this meeting.

We called ahead to hear that attendees at the church were listening to music and waiting for our arrival. We prayed to know that the Christ – God’s tender message of love, justice, order, wisdom, and inspiration embracing humanity – was speaking to everyone: drivers, picketers, police officers on the scene, the government, us, those at the preparatory meeting, everyone who would attend our events, and people all around the world. No material mentality – nothing – could stop the message of the Christ.

With a firm prayerful stand on this point, and only minutes after a police officer recommended that we take a longer, round-about route to our destination, the picketers stood aside and we drove on. We arrived just in time for a warm, inspiring meeting. We sat in a circle, to acknowledge the importance and voice of everyone involved. When it comes to church, nobody should be in the back row. Attendees shared spiritual ideas and youthful qualities that they loved, which were a part of their prayers supporting the TMC Youth events and especially the upcoming lectures.

Interestingly enough, as we began to talk about Sunday School, a young man and his small daughter (who seemed possibly homeless) entered through the church door and sat just outside where everyone was meeting. Susie encouraged them to join the circle. The man told us that they needed money and that his daughter was sick. Susie gently explained how the valuable prayers of the group supported his whole family, and how his daughter could benefit from Sunday School. He was given a copy of Science and Health and a member gave him some bread. After staying awhile, he eventually left. The man’s visit spurred a discussion about how to face some of the larger issues of the city and the nation.

Ideas which had led to a significant physical healing for Susie the day before proved to be powerful fuel for the conversation. The spiritual fact is that God, Spirit, is supreme, and we all live and move and have our being in Him and His environment. As God’s children, we cannot be divided. None of us can be left out, and we can have no problem bigger than the capacities of infinite Spirit. We do not inherit our current situation or abilities from past history, material conditions, or from other people. We each have a direct relationship with God and no power or influence except the goodness of the Christ can rule or determine our experience. God, Love, alone can touch us and He constantly brings us blessings.

The awareness of these facts is a healing force, not only for individuals but for their families and communities as well. With these ideas and more in mind, the group felt inspired and ready for the upcoming events which included mural painting, two lectures, a TMC Youth presentation, a Sunday School workshop, and a youth meeting.

Follow TMC Youth’s Susie Jostyn and her husband Jay as they travel through Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Susie will be giving youth lectures and TMC Youth presentations, and will be hosting Sunday School workshops and various youth meetings.

By Susie and Jay Jostyn

So I remember the cruelty of words spoken and actions taken, but I don’t remember the degree of violence that we’re hearing about now. In just this last month, Chicago had three cases of kids getting killed at school, and nobody wanted that to happen. So it’s important that we deal with this.

My heart goes out to both the victims and the perpetrators, because adolescence is hard enough emotionally without having to be afraid of physical harm as well, or feel the rage that makes you want to hurt someone.

The key to breaking through the fear and the rage is this: YOU DIDN’T DESERVE IT! You don’t deserve the violence that has hurt you, and you don’t deserve all the stuff that makes you so angry.

For all the bad things that happen to us, the most dangerous part is if you just give in and say well, if those people think and do that stuff to me, there must be something wrong with me. Then the worthlessness just grows and suddenly you don’t appreciate the fact that you are more than what other people think and do to you.

The thing that gives me hope and courage about these things is when I try to look at them from God’s point of view…every one of us is the child of God, God made us and God didn’t make junk.

What this means is that we have unique purpose—we have something to give.

Our worth is not based on what other people think about you. Our worth is based on what God created in you. And what God created in us is wonderfully good and needed!

Each of us is wonderfully unique, gifted with talents that the world needs.

Anytime somebody does something bad to us, or says something awful about us, it’s a time to remember the constancy of God’s love for us. Anytime we think we want to hurt someone else, or spread some terrible lie, it’s a time to remember that our real individuality is designed to love. God made us to love, not hate.

The most wonderful thing about growing up is that you start to notice you have thoughts of your own…that you can start doing things on your own. There’s an increasing readiness for responsibility. But fulfilling responsibility depends on one central thing—sorting through our thoughts and committing to the ones that are good and useful.

And this requires a great strength. As much as life seems like a swirl of other people’s thoughts, we find the essence of life when we find a mental independence from other people. Instead of getting into the wondering of whether people like you or not, we have a right to respect the good we have to share…and really look for ways to respect other people.

I wonder if the key is to be praying on a much bigger scale—for everyone at school. Whether people think they’re in the in-crowd or not, whether people are particularly gifted or not, athletes or not, everybody has a right to know God has given them a unique purpose with talents to fulfill it. Then we can help each other commit to the thoughts that are in line with that purpose in a way that we reject the thoughts that make us feel like junk—or want to make other people feel like junk.

By Lois Carlson

Soviel Angst und Furcht steckt dahinter. Ich dachte kurz darüber nach wie stark diese Furcht und Angst die Gedanken der Menschen beeinflussen wollen. Gleichzeitig dachte ich darüber nach, wie man sich vor dieser angsterfüllten Beeinflussung frei halten kann. Ein Wortspiel half mir dabei. Schweinegrippe ( swine flu) = Schweineinfluenza ( swine influenza)= Influence =der Einfluss, Beeinflussen (Influence).

Also wovon wollte ich mich beeinflussen lassen? Unter welchem Einfluss stehe ich eigentlich wirklich?

Mary Baker Eddy schreibt: „Das physische Heilen durch Christian Science ist heute, wie zur Zeit Jesu, das Ergebnis der Tätigkeit des göttlichen Prinzips, vor der Sünde und Krankheit ihre Wirklichkeit im

menschlichen Bewusstsein verlieren und so natürlich und unvermeidlich verschwinden, wie Dunkelheit dem Licht und Sünde der Umwandlung Raum gibt. Heute wie damals sind diese mächtigen Werke nicht übernatürlich, sondern im höchsten Grade natürlich. Sie sind das Zeichen des Immanuel oder „Gott mit uns“ — ein göttlicher Einfluss, der im menschlichen Bewusstsein immer gegenwärtig ist.“ W+G xi:10-19

Der göttliche Einfluss ist immer gegenwärtig, in unserem Bewusstsein. Ist das nicht großartig zu wissen. Es ist also auch ganz natürlich und normal, sich von diesem göttlichen PRINZIP, beeinflussen zu lassen. Dieser göttliche Einfluss spricht nur von unserer Vollständigkeit, vom Guten, von Liebe und Freiheit. Angst, Furcht, Grippe, Influenza sind dabei völlig ausgeschlossen.

Ich hatte diesen göttlichen Einfluss schon so oft verspürt und wusste, dass es ganz natürlich und normal ist, dafür Raum in meinem Denken zuzulassen. Ich entschloss mich, im Angesicht der Warnschilder über die Schweinegrippe, mich ganz bewusst diesen göttlichen Einfluss, dem Christus, in meine Gedanken einströmen zu lassen um diese Beeinflussung von Angst und Furcht wirkungslos bleiben zu lassen. Wie tat ich das? Ich richtete mich voll und ganz gedanklich auf das göttliche PRINZIP aus, dass mich erhält und beschützt.

Ich machte mir bewusst, dass Gesundheit durch das geistige Gesetz, dass der Mensch zu Gottes Bild und Gleichnis geschaffen ist, aufrechterhalten wird. Nichts kann dieses Gesetz umstürzen und eben auch kein Schweinegrippe verursachen. Schweinegrippegrippe gehört nicht zum Bild und Gleichnis Gottes.

An diesen Gedanken hielt ich kompromisslos fest und wandte mich so immer weiter an Gott.

Dann versuchte ich, einfach nur zu empfinden, wie sehr Gott mich liebt. Ich akzeptierte voll und ganz, dass meine Gedanken direkt von Gott/Geist, dem göttlichen Gemüt, zu mir kommen.

Ich wurde dadurch immer ruhiger und nach einer Weile fühlte ich eine innere Zufriedenheit, einen Frieden, ein Lächeln, eine Freiheit und in diesem Augenblick wusste ich die Arbeit war getan.

Mit anderen Worten, die göttliche Liebe, der göttliche Einfluss oder der Christus hatte mich ganz bewusst berührt. Angst und Furcht vor Schweinegrippe hatten alle Macht verloren!

von Frank Prinz-Wondollek

There is so much fear and anxiety behind these directives. I considered for a moment how strong the influence of that fear is. At the same time, I thought about what we can do to keep ourselves free from that fearful influence. A play on words helped me there: swine flu = swine influenza = influence.

So what do I want to be influenced by? What influence am I actually under?

Mary Baker Eddy writes: “The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus’ time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation. Now as then these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural. They are the sign of Immanuel. or “God with us,” — a divine influence ever present in human consciousness…” (Science and Health, p. xi:9-18).

The divine influence is always present in our consciousness. It’s so great to know that. So it’s completely normal and natural to be influenced by this divine Principle. This divine influence communicates only our completeness. It communicates only good, love, and freedom. Anxiety, fear, flu are totally excluded.

I’ve felt this divine influence so often, and know it to be entirely normal and natural to give it space in my thought. I decided, in view of all those warning signs about swine flu, to let the divine influence, the Christ, pour into my thought to cancel out the effect of any influence of fear. How did I do that? I aligned my thought completely with the divine Principle that supports and protects me.

I held clearly to the idea that health is maintained by spiritual law, which created all of us in God’s image and likeness. Nothing can overturn this law, or cause something like swine flu. Swine flu is not part of God’s image and likeness. I held unswervingly to this idea, and kept turning to God. Then I tried simply to feel how much God loves me. I totally acknowledged that all my thoughts come to me directly from God, Spirit, or the divine Mind.

In a short time I became calmer, and after a while I felt an inner satisfaction, a serenity, a smile, a freedom, and at that moment I knew the work was done.

In other words, divine Love, the divine influence, or Christ, had clearly touched me. And anxiety and fear of swine flu had lost all power over me!

By Frank Prinz-Wondollek

What an incredible, peaceful summer I had! These past few months have added up to the first time I’ve actually spent living on my own—away from my parents or my college. I have grown so much! At the beginning of the summer, I was a little nervous to be starting an internship in a city that I barely knew, with people that I had just met, and a job wherein I didn’t know what to expect. Over time, turning to prayer became such a regular habit that I am immensely grateful for the challenges that I met and dealt with metaphysically in this brand new experience.

One of the first things that I did when I got to Boston was to sign up for a membership at the YMCA. I was so proud of myself and eager to start losing weight immediately. So how come all of a sudden I began gaining weight despite working out regularly? Well, as I thought about this, I realized that recently I had kept quite a poor attitude regarding my weight. I was becoming more and more frustrated by how “fat” I felt, and simply put, I did not love myself. Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, directs us to “embrace your body in thought” and “delineate upon it thoughts of health, not of sickness.” Well, I was definitely not embracing my body.

After more than a month of this negative thinking, I finally had a breakthrough. I was reading an article called, “A Spiritual Eye for Beauty,” in a recent Christian Science Sentinel from July 20th. In this article, the author asks the question, “How am I seeing?” as opposed to, “How am I being seen?” We spend so much time judging those around us, and comparing their physical appearances to our own, that our bodies cannot possibly be good enough for our mistaken ideals. Living in a city, I often people-watch, and this people-watching usually involves a good deal of criticism. “Why is she wearing such tight clothing?” “He really needs to get to the gym.” “I’m so glad I don’t look like that!” These were just a few of the ugly thoughts that were crossing my mind repeatedly.

It was obvious that I needed to change my habit of negative thinking and begin not only embracing my own body in thought, but loving everyone around me too. Instead of looking at size or shape, I began to play a game with myself. When I would walk by an individual on the street, I would try to see the beautiful qualities he or she expressed as God’s perfect child. Instead of thinking, “Those are some big hips!” I would think, “I see poise, intelligence, and beauty.” It became a challenge to understand each individual as expressing these qualities, and to do so honestly. Instead of ignoring a homeless man, I would think, “He expresses infinite supply and comfort.” This was like my own spiritual version of “I Spy,” and it made the ten minute walk to work each morning so much more enjoyable and uplifting.

I knew that these individuals expressed such beautiful qualities because they were perfect reflections of God, and it is our right to express God’s loving nature. We are not simply people struggling through each day, but rather, divine ideas of joy and peace that bless the world around us.

The result of this has been that, as I try to see God’s qualities personified in the people around me, it becomes easier to find them in myself. So instead of looking in the mirror and seeing a lumpy girl with an unsuccessful gym membership, I see a humble expression of joy, confidence, and compassion. Mary Baker Eddy tells us that, “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you” (Science and Health p. 571). By allowing myself to be enveloped in God’s love for me, and to express His beautiful qualities, I was protecting myself from my own silly hatred of my physical appearance. Now, instead of going to the gym feeling like I have to burn a certain amount of calories, I go because I enjoy the exercise and the discipline which grow from attending regularly.

I may not be going back to school in the fall looking like a slender Olympic athlete, but I will be going back with a newly found sense of peace and confidence that has blessed me more than a smaller waist ever could.

by Rebekah Charlston