American writer and humorist Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” What a profound observation! It strikes me that the sincere Christian thought I was brought up with, and the more metaphysical view of Christian theology and practice I’ve since learned through the teachings of Christian Science, hold a similar relation. What the Science of Christianity did was to bring to light the nature of God and our relation to Him, as Christ Jesus demonstrated. It brought to light the lightning for me.
I learned why all blessings flow from God. The because changed everything.
For instance, I loved what I learned in the Christian church of my childhood. Every Sunday we sang the inspiring doxology “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.” Later, when I found Christian Science, I built on this understanding as I learned why all blessings flow from God: because God is All—omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent Spirit. The because changed everything for me. God became to me an immediate presence, power, and Love.
