I’m always grateful when a familiar story in the Bible brings new inspiration and becomes practical in my daily experience.
One day, the weekly Christian Science Bible Lesson included the account of a funeral on the outskirts of a city, where a number of mourners gathered in support of a woman bereft of her husband, and, on top of that, the loss of her only son (see Luke 7:11–16). Apparently nearby, Jesus had compassion that compelled him to approach the scene and tell the grieving mother to “weep not.” With that, he immediately put a halt to the procession and raised her son to life. It was no longer an occasion to mourn.
As I read the story this time, I thought about a particular family member whom I had never been close to. The connection we’ve had has culminated in estrangement during the past few years, despite a number of attempts to rekindle the relationship. As a result, I have often found myself mentally rehearsing a sense of regret. Now the words of the account took on new meaning, where it says, “He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still.” Suddenly, the story spoke to me of a need to stop my own mental “procession” and raise thought to a level that embraced this family member with the love of our Father-Mother God, linking us together as we’ve always been and ever will continue to be eternally.
