What is it like to experience a wholly divine calmness? Alertness to the need for calm and the recognition of God’s loving presence can still storms of anger in interactions with others.
Sometimes, when frustrated by such circumstances, we may feel justified in getting annoyed and say and do things that cause more harm than good. Watching one’s own temperament when dealing with others is particularly important with increased, easy access to global communication via social and public platforms.
To keep alarming negative thoughts from intruding upon one’s natural trust in God’s divine direction and unconditional love, I’ve found it very helpful to understand divine Truth’s peace and its power to heal.
The infinite God breaks defensiveness and fear. Imbibing uplifting spiritual truths and practicing them in daily life gives us opportunities to see the healing activity of the Christ, the spiritual idea of God, Soul. Joy and resilience naturally shine through our spiritual identity, so there is no need for feeling vulnerable or willful. Rather, we can express the wholeness of God’s divine image.
Practicing wisdom and grace happens through first being a patient, obedient student of a patient, loving God. Keeping calm in the midst of conflict allows us to listen for the voice of divine Truth and Love. This peaceful utterance reassures us, no matter what someone else says or does, that the essential goodness and spirituality of our identity, formed by divine intelligence, continue undisturbed and untouched.
Even on the cross – the symbol of intense human hatred – Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Shortly after, he proved death, evil, hatred, and resentment to be powerless over eternal life, forever sustained by God. So he set the standard for each of us to find spiritual poise in the face of anger or malice.
A few years ago I had an opportunity to put these ideas into practice. One evening an inebriated and angry driver ran a stop sign on a street corner of our town plaza and just missed a direct hit with my car. He then slammed on his brakes and backed up just short of my car hood. He got out of his vehicle staggering and screaming, pounded on my car hood, and then began to pound on my window. I could not back up because of another car behind me.
I locked my doors and scrambled for my cellphone to call the police. Unfortunately, it was in the back seat. I felt trapped, and my heart pounded with shock, anger, and confusion. But quite suddenly, calming thoughts from God flowed gently into my consciousness and began to quiet the fear and panic. I felt led to close my eyes and quietly declare that God’s presence was certainly with me and this individual. God was speaking to both of us, leading us into His promised land of harmony and away from this inflammatory circumstance.
It came to me to lift up my face with a smile, wave at him like an old friend, and say, “Hi, I haven’t seen you in a while. How is it going with you? Are you all right? I’m sorry if something went wrong!” With that, he stopped pounding on my car. His rage melted into a softer expression, and he looked at me, stunned. He slowly walked back to his car, declaring he wasn’t doing very well, and asked if I could pray for him.
I carefully drove past his car to pull into a parking spot and could see in my rearview mirror that he pulled into a parking spot as well, and put his head on the steering wheel. He was apparently crying. I prayed to see God’s Christly man, wholly blessed, peaceful, content, safe, and conscious. I also prayed to forgive him and bless him. After a while it looked as if he had fallen asleep peacefully, but I did call the local police to check in on him before I went on my way.
These wonderful truths of God can reach us and our fellow man with perfect precision – to dissolve with compassion the imposition that we could ever be less than God’s image and likeness. I was deeply grateful for the protection I had received that night and for the opportunity to witness the transforming power of God’s peace and its great, universal embrace.
Adapted from an article published on sentinel.christianscience.com, Jan. 4, 2024.
