I was in the woods, squinting at 3-by-5 cards in the moonlight, attempting to familiarize myself with a speech about God, our true spiritual nature, and the profound effect prayer can have on mental and physical health. I had two days to get the speech down, while also serving as an assistant scoutmaster at my stepsons’ Boy Scout campout. I could remember half the talk, but the rest just wouldn’t stick.
All the boys were supposed to be in their tents, sleeping, but suddenly here was one of the scouts. I’ll call him Ethan. He walked up and grabbed the cards out of my hand. He said, “I’ll help!”
My heart sank. Tired, frustrated … and now Ethan. He wouldn’t give the cards back and started pacing with me. As we paced, though, things changed. He gave hints that forced me to think deeply. The rest of the speech began to come to thought more easily.
As we worked, he remarked, “This is neat stuff.” Then he sat down on a stump and asked, “Don’t you think that the same God that gave you the ideas for this speech also gave you the ability to share it?”
“Ethan the problem” had turned into what we might call “Ethan the angel.” His words woke me up. I had that speech down before we left the campsite. And I gave that talk many times throughout North America.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, defines “angels” as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 581). Angels are not people, but Ethan did express, that night, helpful or angelic qualities as he assisted me.
Whatever is required of us, we reflect God’s ability to do. Why? Because we are created in God’s image and likeness. We are not the lost, scared, and frustrated mortals we sometimes appear to be. Spirit, God, is All – all-good, true substance, and Life – including our true spiritual, immortal existence. God is the divine Life we individually reflect. He is our Mind, and we are His complete, fearless, spiritual likeness.
Spirit impels constant spiritual vitality and confidence, so Spirit’s allness, understood, empowers us to declare regarding discouragement, “That’s not me! That’s not you! Never has been.”
Our God-given spiritual sense – “a conscious, constant capacity to understand God” (Science and Health, p. 209) – enables us to accomplish what’s needed, when it’s needed. And angels, spiritual intuitions, help awaken us to our natural abilities.
Our true spiritual nature perfectly reflects our divine Father-Mother, God. When describing his ability to do God’s will, Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19).
Whether we desire to lay aside shyness, pain, frustration, brokenness, lack, or any other limitation, we can turn to our Father-Mother in prayer and allow His angels to lead us out of limited, materialistic thought patterns, which are fertile ground for difficulties.
Evil, the erroneous belief in a power besides God, suggests that God’s child, His expression, is at times incapable and deficient. However, because God is our Life and Mind, we express Mind’s intelligence and are blessed by Life’s infinite capabilities and opportunities. And nothing can restrict or stop God’s work.
Jesus, filled with the Christ-power, Truth’s divine might, revealed for all of us how to overcome every deficiency or obstruction that evil suggests. Hatred toward him, which led to the cross and tomb, could not limit God’s Son. He proved evil to be unreal. He accomplished this by laying aside the belief that life is mortal and limited. He completely loved, understood, and expressed the dynamic, eternal, infinite Spirit, God.
For each of us, the understanding that all things are possible to God, and therefore to us as His offspring, is gained through studying the Bible, which teaches the absolutely reliable nature of Spirit. This scriptural study is aided by also studying Science and Health, which opens up the spiritual meaning of the Bible, helping us grow Spiritward. As we grow in this way and express selfless grace, nothing can prevent us from reflecting Him. We are all His sons and daughters.
Whether in the woods or out of them, we can accomplish what’s needed. It’s wonderfully true: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
Adapted from an editorial published in the Nov. 4, 2024, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
