Spiritual Short

On a recent morning I found myself thinking, “I am in God’s care. He is taking such good care of me.

In the 1970s I was head of the Security/Host Division at The Mother Church.   The crime rate in Boston was very high, and this situation affected even the Church Plaza.

One day on my morning walk, I found myself singing the hymn “I walk with Love along the way” (Minny M. H.

Praying daily for oneself is, to me, a lot like nurturing a potted plant.   You prune the dead leaves and flowers so it’s not wasting its energy on something useless; you make sure it has enough water and sunlight; and, best of all, you enjoy all the beautiful growth that’s happening.

Do you ever find yourself dwelling on the past? You begin to think about big and little incidents that may cause regret, grief, sadness, or self-condemnation.   Recently I was on a trip, where I had time just to sit and think.

I lead a Bible study group at a local jail in Boston, and the men I talk with use and love a diversity of Bible translations. However, I often hear that many of these men find the words of the King James Version hard to understand or relate to.

I was about to leave my workplace, and couldn’t find my keys. It’s a large building, and I had been all over it the past hour with keys in hand.

I love the Lord’s Prayer, and I love Mary Baker Eddy’s “spiritual sense” of the prayer, too. The inclusive love in this prayer embraces the universe.

The story of Solomon praying to God for wisdom and an understanding heart to rule his people (see I Kings 3:5–15 ) begins with his being asleep and having a dream in the night, where God comes to him, answers his prayer for wisdom, and also gives him what he didn’t even ask for—riches and honor. It says that Solomon awoke and “behold, it was a dream.

The four young swimmers were excitedly diving into the water at the local gravel pit and coming up with a variety of colorful, beautiful rocks they had found at the bottom. One young boy swam over to me and asked breathlessly, “Do you want me to find you some diamonds?”   To see the enthusiasm of these innocent amateur geologists made my heart sing.