Recently, some Ukrainian friends of mine asked if I would join them for a memorial church service and a peace rally. My heart went out to them. Of course, I wanted to be there to support them and to stand together in solidarity. But I knew that for this to be a truly meaningful experience – one that not only blessed each of us, but the community and the world – I had to do more than simply show up. I had to lift my presence at these events to a higher level. As a Christian Scientist, I’m learning that this means going to God in prayer and humbly listening for what He is telling me.
As I prayed, I was reminded of this Bible verse: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8, New International Version). This gave me the answer I was looking for. It spoke to me of God’s ever-present love and care. I knew that whatever we were doing over those coming days, God would be right there with us, communicating to each of us His love and peace.
Attending the memorial service later that day, I was touched by the words of the dean of our local cathedral. After the lighting of candles, he reminded us that light is a symbol of God’s love. He said, in essence, that in the tragedy of warfare, there’s only one thing that will endure. It’s not the warfare, it’s not the darkness – it’s the love of God. We find hope in the presence of God, and darkness will be banished. The love of God will endure.
That message of light and love stayed with me as I continued to pray for peace. In Christian Science we learn that God is Love and wholly good. We also learn that another name for God is Mind. I knew that because God is wholly good, and God is Mind, He was giving to me and my friends only good thoughts – thoughts of peace and love. I knew that anger, hatred, distress, and sadness did not come from the Mind that is God, good, and so we couldn’t have these thoughts either.
The Bible says: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). So spiritual light not only comes from God, but is God. God being omnipresent – that is, always with us – His light is always with us, and our true spiritual nature, as the perfect image and likeness of God, reflects and radiates this light.
I recalled a passage written by the woman who discovered Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy: “The right thinker abides under the shadow of the Almighty. His thoughts can only reflect peace, good will towards men, health, and holiness” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany,” p. 210).
Holding to these thoughts of “peace, good will towards men, health, and holiness” gave me the spiritual tools to attend the peace rally. I would go with my thought filled only with God’s love, knowing that I could only reflect His thoughts, so I could only express love toward others. Our expressions of love aren’t about what we say, although we will find that God, divine Mind, will show us what to say if words are needed.
During the peace rally, the gravity of the challenge being faced was duly acknowledged, resulting in tears of sadness from many. Here was an opportunity for me to hold to the spiritual light I had been seeing in my prayers – the light that speaks directly to the heart of each one of us. The light that tells us of God’s presence with us – here and now – of His goodness and all-embracing love.
That night I saw tangible evidence of the power of this light to lift the human spirit out of darkness. As I look back on the photographs of that evening, I see that, in that moment, the tears had stopped, and we shared a true sense of fellowship and joy.
Mrs. Eddy writes:
Thou to whose power our hope we give,
Free us from human strife.
Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part.
(“Poems,” p. 7)
