Oct 13, 2007 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
When I think of Easter, I think of one of the most precious gifts Christ Jesus gave to mankind. The promise of resurrection – of life, and not of death.
At this time of year, many focus on the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. I embrace his crucifixion as the supreme model of unconditional love and forgiveness. He unselfishly bore our infirmities. And I’m humbled.
But I can’t stop there. Especially in light of the fact that the crucifixion was not the end of the story. Evil didn’t win the day. How important for humanity that his life example continued with his resurrection and ultimately, his ascension.
Renowned spirituality and health author, Mary Baker Eddy, writes much about the life and works of Christ Jesus and shares poignant ideas about the meaning of his example. These ideas are found in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
Of his crucifixion she wrote, “Despised and rejected of men, returning blessing for cursing, he taught mortals the opposite of themselves, even the nature of God; and when error felt the power of Truth, the scourge and the cross awaited the great Teacher.” And she describes the cross Jesus carried “up the hill of grief” as “the world’s hatred of Truth and Love.”
Truth, as well as Life and Love, are among many Biblical synonyms for God, and error, the opposite of Truth, is one of many names Eddy uses synonymously with evil. And unfortunately, mankind has often found itself being misguided and controlled by evil in some form or fashion – dishonesty, jealousy, hypocrisy, slander, hate and all the etceteras.
Many have questioned why Jesus allowed his enemies to crucify him since they believed he had the power to stop them.
But might that be where one of the incredible lessons of the resurrection comes in? He allowed his enemies to attempt the destruction of his mortal life. But his resurrection gave us proof of his immortal life. And as Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Nothing could kill this Life of man.”
What a promise for each of us!
His example teaches us that we can never be separated from Life, God — the source of our spiritual, indestructible, eternal life.
Can’t this knowledge also become our resurrection, in a sense, right now?
Think of the many ways we may feel like we’re being crucified today.
Overwhelmed with debt that seems impossible to get out of. Battered with illness leaving our body weary for peace. Depressed with loss and loneliness with dim prospects of a brighter tomorrow. Feeling misunderstood or not appreciated.
Might Easter give us the promise of being resurrected from such crucifixions?
Remember the disciples’ mistaken grief over the death of their Master. And their hesitancy to believe his resurrection could really happen. Christ Jesus later upbraided them for their unbelief, as the Gospel of Mark tells us.
Have we given up hope?
Perhaps it’s possible to believe no more that something can forever destroy our hope and peace – or even our health.
Is it possible that such knowledge, such confident expectation, could roll away the stone from our tomb of despair?
What if the revival of our faith and hope could bring renewed strength, regenerated courage and restored confidence. Such a faith might proclaim that nothing can extinguish our health, our hopes, our dreams, and our peace that is given by God to all of his beloved children.
And today could be an Easter for you and me!
Oct 13, 2007 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Surveys have stated that millions of Americans pray regularly. And millions believe prayer can have a healing effect.
University medical school studies continue to test the medicinal power of prayer on recovery from illness or injury. And the findings remain varied and inconclusive. Consequently, newspaper headlines also tell an inconsistent story: “Prayer no help to sick” . . . “Prayer works as a cure” . . . “Prayer’s effect on health called nil” . . . “Healing power of prayer revealed”.
I suspect that no university study examining the influence of prayer on health would be considered definitive, even in the academic community. Therefore, the underlying question for me is why should scientists and physicians continue to test prayer?
Perhaps Christ Jesus knew the answer to such a question when he said, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” Maybe the creators of these studies are unconsciously looking for “signs and wonders.” The very fact that such studies are happening cannot help but admit to the possibility of “wonders”, even if the motivation of some of them at the outset was to dispute such claims.
It’s not unusual to doubt or question when one hears of healings reported as a result of prayer. Even one of Christ Jesus’ closest disciples – Thomas – doubted that his Master could have been resurrected from death. But didn’t Thomas want to believe?
So one might describe studies exploring and probing the effects of prayer as symbolically crying out like the father of a sick son who cried out to Jesus, “Lord I believe; Help thou mine unbelief.”
I understand this hope-filled cry. My heart has sung that tune many times. Time and again I’ve caught glimpses of the omnipotence and allness of God and my inseparable relationship to God as His beloved daughter. I would be among the 41% of Americans who said they had been cured of illness or had their conditions significantly improve as a result of prayer. (Yankelovich Partners Survey 1999) Even still, moments of doubt, uncertainty and fear have brought me to my knees to reckon with my unbelief.
I can’t imagine a formula for testing prayer that can be effectively implemented, analyzed, measured or evaluated. Surely, prayer is as uniquely spiritual and individual as the individual doing the praying. Lack of healing results in a medical study on prayer would never cause the faith-filled to stop praying.
We read in the Gospel according to St. Matthew of a lunacy case the disciples were unable to heal. Jesus responded, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.” Jesus healed him. But his disciples asked why they could not heal him to which Jesus answered, “Because of your unbelief….”
Christ Jesus instructed, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” In her writings on prayer in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “The Hebrew verb to believe means also to be firm or to be constant.” She explains the Biblical injunction, “Believe…and thou shalt be saved!” as demanding “self-reliant trustworthiness, which includes spiritual understanding and confides all to God.”
So why do I pray?
Because I believe Christ Jesus’ words are a promise. A promise for all people in all times. And surely for all conditions and situations. I mean Jesus did say “And all things.” I’m praying to understand more fully what this means.
Oct 24, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
There I sat… in my sand chair, on the beach of my dreams, relishing the ocean surf and air, reading my magazine, away from phone and computer. Little did I suspect I was soon to read a story that would lead me to question my outlook for the future.
Why is it that a near-death experience often leads to a dramatic change of course in an individual’s life?
The story that suddenly captured my attention was about a couple’s change in their life’s trajectory. They were in the eighth year of their five-year plan to accomplish their dream of a life at sea. After the wife had what was described as a serious health scare, they asked the question, “What were they waiting for?” They answered by putting lucrative careers on hold and selling everything that wouldn’t fit on their sailboat. Thus began their change of course.
The first thing that hit me was that I didn’t have a five-year plan or a ten-year plan or any plan at all for the rest of my life. I had reached middle age without making new goals or imagining new dreams. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped envisioning or planning for the future.
After reading this couple’s story, I asked myself what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I reasoned that I was comfortable, content and satisfied. Honestly, a future of senior years was a path I wasn’t anxious to travel, so I had started to focus only on making the most of present moments and had decided to let the future take care of itself.
Certainly my husband and I talk about places we want to see and things we want to do… one of these days. But we didn’t have specific dates in mind for these dreams. I was now beginning to wonder if our dreams would ever be reached or experienced without setting tangible and realistic goals.
Looking back at my life, I recalled how it felt to want to make a change and not know where to go or how to begin. I remembered the frustration and unhappiness caused by indecision. And I thought about the lessons learned from these times — that a proactive and definitive approach was needed to make progress instead of a vague proposal that tends to keep one in idle, doing nothing, going nowhere.
I wanted to change my view as well as my course for the future. As I sat in my sand chair gazing upon the vast ocean scene before my eyes, I contemplated the infinity of life. I was reminded of an elderly friend of a friend. This dear man was in the midst of remodeling his home, even though he was approaching the century mark of his life journey. My friend asked him why he was remodeling his house at this point of his life. And he replied, “I take my concept of home with me into eternity.” And he further explained how he must always be perfecting, improving, moving forward — setting goals and going about achieving the goals.
If you’re a country music fan like I am, you’ve no doubt heard Tim McGraw’s hit song released a couple of years ago: “Live like you were dying.” The song encourages listeners to live “like tomorrow was a gift” and make the most of the present. The song asks, “You got eternity to think about what you do with it — what should you do with it?”
I realized my view of the future had become clouded by fear and dread. I had lost the zeal and joy for the future that I had felt in my youth.
So, I’m changing my course and singing a new song: “Live like life’s eternal.” To me, this means believing, knowing and expecting infinite possibilities of what I may do next in my life. Tim’s song suggests bull-riding. Well… maybe not.
But I’m being impelled to ponder my future with a new sense of enthusiasm and anticipation. Reshaping my view of the future by a life that is eternal is wiping out fear of age and tribulations, erasing limitations, encouraging goal setting and an expectation of obtaining new dreams.
Oct 24, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
Homecoming celebrations. Platefuls of turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce and pecan pie. Perhaps a feast less about food and more about family.
Americans gather with their loved ones and give thanks for the many blessings in their lives. Even when material treasures appear sparse, Americans remember the intangibles held close to heart, and are grateful to be together.
Days of thanksgiving began long before a national proclamation was made. For the Plymouth colonists, it was a celebration of food and feasting following their first harvest. During the 1700s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe a day of thanksgiving throughout the year, but it was a day set aside for prayer and fasting rather than feasting.
Later in the 19th century, states designated a day of thanksgiving in honor of a military victory, the adoption of a state constitution or a bountiful crop. It was in 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the observance of a national Thanksgiving holiday. And it was in 1941 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the national holiday the fourth Thursday in November.
Yet every Thanksgiving, thousands of families celebrate without a father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister. This year is no exception, with thousands of American troops deployed overseas during the holidays. Last year was different for my family, because we were among those thousands.
Our daughter married a little over three years ago, only six days before our son-in-law was to begin his Air Force training. Training completed, he left the country last fall on his first deployment. And our daughter, with her puppy in tow, returned to mom and dad’s house.
Difficult times, yes. But we kept our soldier ever in our thoughts, conversation and prayers.
Although he was not present at our Thanksgiving dinner table, his empty place was set. We didn’t raise our forks until we first expressed our gratitude for his service to our nation. We honored his willingness to put the safety and security of his fellow citizens before his own. We paid tribute to his ideals, dedication, passion, patriotism, courage and conviction. And we prayed for and praised all servicemen and women and their families.
These words by Mary Baker Eddy summarized our daily prayer: “[M]ay their love of country and their faithful service thereof, be unto them life-preservers!”
I must admit, holiday seasons have come and gone year after year without me giving more than a passing thought to the sacrifices made by our military and their families. Last year I vowed to begin a new tradition — to have an empty place set at our dinner table every Thanksgiving. To never forget again the thousands who are separated from loved ones during precious holiday gatherings.
Perhaps you would like to join us? Set a place at your Thanksgiving dinner table, too. And from table to table, we’ll give thanks all across America for our selfless heroes. And pray for their safe return home.
My family had a second Thanksgiving feast when our soldier came home in January. A day for thanksgiving, indeed!
Oct 24, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
The season of Thanksgiving is upon us. For the Hallmark card company this means sales.
Annually, sales of thank-you notes spike in December and January, undoubtedly fueled by the 58 percent of moms who, according to the Hallmark Research Department, actively teach their children to write notes of appreciation for gifts they’ve received from family and friends.
My mom taught me thanking others in some tangible way is good manners. Certainly we appreciate kindnesses shown to us. But is that all there is to gratitude — expressing thanks for how much good we have or being grateful when something good happens?
What about when things don’t go our way? When we’re having a bad day? When we’re going through difficult times? When we’re stressed, anxious or sad? Where is our gratitude then? Perhaps we’ve become too dependent on outward circumstances, allowing them to dictate how we feel, rather than the other way around.
Suppose gratitude is not merely a passing sentiment. Maybe gratitude is not so much about what happens to us, but more about how we happen to the world around us.
Consider gratitude as an attitude, a point of view and a state of being. With gratitude as the premise for every thought, feeling and action, how would your day change? Do you doubt that your mental state impacts everything and everyone around you?
One Christmas, my daughter gave me a magnet inscribed, “If Mamma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy.” We laughed about it, but actually, that magnet expressed how she felt. I started realizing how my attitude affected my entire home. Certainly my attitude influenced my actions, my mood, my tone of voice. And consequently, my attitude impacted every member of the family, day by day, for better or worse.
I soon learned that my attitude didn’t influence only my family. You can test this for yourself. Walk into a store or workplace or a meeting. Think happy thoughts. Count your blessings. Hum your favorite song. Smile. Walk confidently with joy in each step. And watch the people around you. See how they respond.
Then try the reverse. This time think unhappy, miserable thoughts. Grumble to yourself. Slouch. Drag your feet. Frown. And watch those around you. I bet they run for cover and avoid even making eye contact with you!
I’ve found gratitude to be an unlimited and infinite resource. A wellspring that never runs dry. A resource that is available in any and every moment. How is this possible, you ask? Because a grateful heart is our divine nature, inherent in each of us as children of God — unconditional Love, infinite Good.
It’s no wonder that gratitude can transform even the most desperate of situations into one of hope, optimism, and certainty of a better and brighter day.
How can we live in a state of joyful expectation? A grateful heart begins with the moment. This moment. Make a conscious choice to be present in the moment. Get off automatic pilot. Think about what you’re doing, what’s happening around you. Ask yourself, do you feel gratitude right now in this moment? There is always something to appreciate, even in the worst of times.
I’ve started to begin each day with recognizing the good that is present. Waking up pondering my God-given grateful heart helps me see the good around me. Making gratitude a daily practice will change your life. It has mine.
What can gratitude do for you? Gratitude can quiet anxiety. Relieve stress. Soften anger. Make you feel lighter, happier.
Gratitude will lift you up. Build you up. Strengthen you. Nourish you. Sustain you. Comfort you.
Gratitude eases worry. Brings clarity of mind. Helps you forgive. Affirms that good is stronger than evil. Assures all is well, all will be well. With a grateful heart you can handle anything that comes your way.
Gratitude gives you a zest for living. Enables you to savor everything life puts before you. Helps you see your life as a gift instead of as overworked, mundane, or burdensome. You’ll find contentment. Satisfaction.
Gratitude makes you feel blessed. And impels you to bless others. So great is the healing power of gratitude.
Endless are the reasons for thanks-giving during this holiday season and in every moment of every day of the year.
