After quoting Christ Jesus' statement, "The kingdom of God is within you," Mary Baker Eddy writes (Pulpit and Press, p. 3): "Know, then, that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly, and that nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love. If you maintain this position, who or what can cause you to sin or suffer?"
I'm grateful I've been able to accept the truth of this statement and to realize that my thinking does determine my experience. Failure to exercise this God given power may result in a graphic reminder of the necessity to control our quality of thought.
One day I stepped backward from a basement stair several steps from the bottom. With nothing to break the fall, I found myself landing on the concrete floor in a sitting position in the corner of the basement with my head against the concrete wall. There was a momentary feeling of self-pity, but almost instantly I accepted the responsibility for the outcome of the situation through a recognition of the need for specific correction of my thought. The physical "upset" I had had shook me awake to the upset and disturbed thought I was feeling about a situation I considered unjust. As I began clearing out the hurt feelings and unloving thoughts, the pain in my head ceased, and I found I was able to arise and continue my activities unharmed.
