I love our hymns. For me, they are prayers that give comfort and guidance. Indeed, angel thoughts—God’s thoughts—coming to bless all mankind.
This past summer, my husband and I went to visit our daughter and her children in Colorado. While we were there, two lines from a much-loved hymn kept coming to me—“I reach Mind’s open door, and at its portal / I know that where I stand is holy ground” (Violet Hay, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 64). The word stand stood out to me. I asked myself, Am I standing firmly in my love for God, for His omnipotence, His ever-presence? Am I standing firmly in the truth of being—that I was made in His likeness? And do I know this for the members of my family, as well?
This, I find, is an ongoing discipline. With our visit over, my husband and I began the long drive home. I continued to think about what it means to stand. When we reached a motel near the Salt Lake City airport, my husband went in to register and I decided to get out of the car to stretch my legs. As I was leaning against the car with the door open, my hand against the frame, a mighty gust of wind slammed the door shut against my hand. Again, those wonderful words came to mind immediately: “I reach Mind’s open door, and at its portal / I know that where I stand is holy ground.” I felt no pain, no shock, no fear, only a sense of calm. Twice I tried unsuccessfully to open the door with my left hand. The third time I was able to free myself. There was absolutely no evidence of injury on the hand. I was free in every respect! That wonderful sense of God with me continued. I later realized that I needed to keep in mind the distinct memory of the healing and not of my hand caught in the door. I was surely learning to stand!
