EVERYDAY DIVINITY? Sure! I see evidence of it each day when I apply the teachings of Christian Science to all aspects of my life. Science and Health uses the terms Life, Truth, Love, Principle, Soul, Spirit, Mind as synonyms for God. I find that these synonyms help me to understand that the nature of God, who is All, is wholly good and the only power governing me, so my daily experience can only be good. Here's an example that illustrates how I apply this understanding practically.
One day at work I felt something wrong with my back. By evening, I was very uncomfortable, and when I got home, I found I couldn't climb the stairs to our bedroom without difficulty. When I woke up the next morning, even the slightest movement caused spasms of such intense pain that I almost fainted. Now, I'd learned over the years that I could rely on God in any trouble, but it was difficult to turn my thought to God because the pain was so intense. So I asked my sons, who were quite young at that time, to help me by reading the Christian Science Bible Lesson for that week. It began with this Bible verse: "For there is no power but of God" (Rom. 13:1). My older son read this aloud and then looked at me and said, "Mom, that's all you need." And off he went, convinced that this Biblical assurance was really all I needed!
I lay in bed thinking about that Bible verse and its relevance to my situation. I remember thinking something like this: If divine Love is the only power, then no other power exists that can produce a painful back. If divine Mind is the only power, then only divine Mind can control my movements. If good is the only power, then no evil power exists that can cause or create painful movements. And then I asked myself, Well, if you really believe this to be true, why are you lying in bed acting as if it were not true? Aren't you saying one thing and doing another? But of course I knew why I was saying one thing and doing another: The "doing" seemed so daunting.
Then I remembered a sentence from Science and Health: "Only through radical reliance on Truth can scientific healing power be realized" (p. 167). Radical reliance—complete, total reliance on Truth. Not on muscles or willpower or determination, but on the power of immortal Truth. I decided to do that—to radically rely on divine Truth. So I tried moving slowly. It was not easy, but I insisted that divine Mind was moving me, that Love's power was upholding me and that I needed no other support. It was, literally, a step-by-step process of radically relying on Truth. I was able to slowly sit up in bed then get up and walk to the shower. By the time I reached the shower, I was completely healed of the pain.
I'd learned over the years that I could rely on God in any trouble.
That day I attended my son's band concert, had lunch with a friend, went shopping, cooked dinner for my family, attended church—all with a sense of vitality, joy, and deep gratitude that once again I had seen proof of the healing effect of scientific prayer. Science and Health explains how my healing took place: "The effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind" (p. 162). My reliance on God, Truth, neutralized the lie of pain, made it powerless, ineffective. This reliance changed the basis of my thinking and allowed me to yield to the good and loving power of the divine Mind. And the result was healing, expressed in the relaxing of rigid muscles, no more pain, and complete freedom of movement.
Over the years, I've had many quick healings like this one. I've also had healings that have required me to really hang in there and not give in to discouragement. And then there are those healings that happen so naturally that they seem almost insignificant—but are not: for example, when I stop feeling pressured by demands, or when I find something I've lost, or when I'm no longer tempted to do something that is not quite right. I've learned to count on the all-loving God to actively help me in the big things—as well as all the little, everyday things—of my life.
