"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
I would like to share my gratitude for the obvious renewal which is unfolding in my life after several years of struggle.
I would like to testify that even in the darkest times when just getting up and getting dressed in the morning seemed impossible if not pointless, let alone going to work, the declaration that God was right there with me in everything I needed to do, strengthening and supporting me kept me going. The sensation of feeling totally trapped with no way out seemed at times overwhelming. However, I just kept on affirming the presence of God, Love, both silently and out loud. I lived very much in the present, just focusing on what needed doing first and knowing that God was all action. I also “vehemently” rejected the suggestion of being trapped, and affirmed the “liberty of the sons of God”. God was with me when I woke, God was with me in the car driving to work, and God was with me in times of fear and in humanly threatening situations. Having exhausted my human efforts to resolve the difficulties I knew that there was one thing, and one thing only to do... class instruction!
So, I changed track and stuck to my efforts not to react humanly and to maintain harmony in my thoughts until the following year, when I was able to take class instruction. Help was forthcoming from many quarters to meet my family’s needs. I was also offered new, more stable employment which was to begin immediately after Class. Two phrases which really stayed with me from that Class were that ‘human or material so-called law has no jurisdiction’ and the clear instruction “Don’t go into the dream and walk around in it!!”
In the months following class instruction I received the loving support from a dear Practitioner and spent as much time as I could in prayer and study in the evenings, literally in “the closet” of my bedroom trying to understand God better and to understand His loving plan for me. This focused on some of the biographies of Mary Baker Eddy, in particular Peel’s trilogy, cross-referencing them with the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings. At times I felt I was almost living in the 19th Century, standing on the sidelines, rooting for Mary and cheering on the Cause!!
Within a few months, there was a significant change in my home circumstances bringing a sense of relief and freedom. This was just the beginning of many changes for the better. I longed for “normality” and wondered if there was such a thing. Mary Baker Eddy is adamant “In Christian Science perfection is normality” (Still need to find accurate reference for this)*.
I remember particularly the parable of “The river of ice” that we heard during our Association meeting about 4 years ago. It helped to bolster my determination not to let go of the Truth and not to give in to continuing aggressive suggestions of lack, disorder, discord, fear, sin, sickness and death. I also dedicated time to recognizing and being grateful for signs of abundance, even the rainfall during a particularly wet spring! I recognized that I couldn’t be poor or lack substance because “thy Maker is thine husband” and laughed out loud at the thought that our Maker is rich indeed, infinitely so! I also worked with the idea of the ever-presence of the Fatherhood and Motherhood of God.
During this time I was led to take on extra work, I kept a note of the things that needed paying and budgeted wisely. In the words of my mother and many others I “kept on keeping on”. When I hesitated to take an important decision due to economic or human factors I realized that God would see it through and I would have all I needed when I needed it. I tried not to put a human timescale on proceedings and affirmed how the harmonious action of Mind would coordinate everything perfectly.
Today, amid the preparation for Association 2016 is my sense of immense gratitude and joy for the demonstration of renewed order, supply, harmony, happiness and companionship in my life and for the progress happening in my children’s lives as they grow and mature. One of the most significant changes is my restored ’peace of mind’; that freedom from the hypnotizing effect of those former difficulties which seemed for a time to fill my thought in every spare moment. I can truly testify to Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.