Inherent in human experience are challenging circumstances, all of which can be traced to the supposition that God is not all-powerful and able to govern His creation; that another power is present, operating in opposition to Him.
Should we admit, consciously or unconsciously, that this belief has any truth, we can quickly start to feel lost, even out of control—swayed by fitful human opinions, popularity, pride, fear, or resentment. These stormy waves of mortal mind (which the Apostle Paul referred to as the “carnal mind,” the belief in a mind opposed to God) do not engender strength or stability. They instead invite chaos, not order, and leave us feeling depleted rather than enriched, devoid of the divine guidance that enables us to think and act rightly and be properly self-governed.
Christ Jesus directly challenged the belief in an antagonistic, willful power or volition and revealed God’s singular control of His creation. When confronted with confusion, conflict, and sickness, he met them with imperturbable spiritual power and understanding, and as a result, harmony, justice, and health were restored.
Every human effort on my part to restore harmony proved futile.
This confirmed scriptural prophecy that the office of Christ—the eternal, divine Truth Jesus so fully manifested—holds the ultimate governing power. “The government shall be upon his shoulder,” Isaiah tells us (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus lived manifestly and authoritatively in allegiance to the laws of this divine government, proving through his healing works that divine Life is eternal and divine Love is ever present, and that these laws of harmony operate infallibly and entirely independent of human peccability and prejudice.
Prayer inspired by Jesus’ teachings and example leads us to exercise the spiritual sovereignty and immunity from a fraudulent personal ego or mind that divine law confers on us. This enlightened understanding heals turbulence, injustice, and every challenge we face that denies God’s peaceable, beneficent government. It also enables us to discern, in our individual lives and in the community, these higher laws of good operating continuously and impelling irrepressible progress.
As an illustration, many years ago I found myself facing a battle of wills between college students in a poetry class I was teaching. Part of the course involved the students learning how to critique one another’s work, but two students that year were noticeably more vocal, competitive, and competent (being previously published) than the majority of other 18–21-year-olds. The class quickly descended into sharp personal attacks and constant disruption between two growing factions.
Every human effort on my part to restore harmony proved futile. So I turned to a higher source to establish order and civility in the class. My inspiration was Jesus, whose teachings and example shine a light on our God-given, spiritual individuality and identity by revealing the indissoluble connection each one of us has to our divine Principle, Love. As God’s own Son, Christ Jesus was the fullest expression of the divine individuality, and he saw this spiritual nature—health rather than sickness, cooperation and unselfishness rather than competition, poise and self-government rather than volatility and reaction—as belonging to everyone. It was this spiritual understanding of the innate goodness and spiritual perfection of God’s creation that enabled Jesus to subdue fear and heal discord and disease.
Rather than feel stuck struggling with stubborn personalities, I appealed to my students’ higher, God-given nature. This kept me from feeling intimidated by their aggressive behavior or repeated threats to drop out of the class.
Their other professors, who were experienced teachers and award-winning novelists, playwrights, and journalists, were also battling disruption and poor attendance from these students. The department head called a crisis meeting at which a vote was held to terminate the course before the final student fees were due in three weeks. It was the first time the college had contemplated such a drastic measure.
I requested waiting until the third week to see if we could still turn the situation around. All the other professors were skeptical, saying there wasn’t anything they could do because almost no one was attending their classes. Nevertheless, the department head agreed to wait.
I remember being encouraged by the fact that God, divine Love and Principle, is the only true lawmaker and governor. I had proved this to some degree in other situations, and it was freeing to acknowledge that human will and coercive behaviors do not constitute true control. They come under the control of spiritual power, the ultimate authority of God, the peaceable and benevolent power behind Jesus’ healing works that is speaking truth now and always to human consciousness.
To be self-governed is to be limitlessly and all-powerfully God-governed.
I called a meeting with the two students and shared ideas on the opportunity they had to enrich this class and benefit from one another’s contributions. Previous attempts like this had met with quick accusations of blame against each other, but this time was different. It was touching to witness them listen quietly and agree, and then share their genuine admiration for one another.
All the students returned to their classes that week, and the atmosphere from then on was cooperative and invigorating. As a result, the department vote to terminate the course was reversed. The sessions of critical analysis were so constructive that every student in the class that year had a poem published in the college magazine. They had experienced what it feels like to be self-governed—to be guided by the impulse of their real nature, the reflection of divine Love. They may not have recognized this, but they were blessed nevertheless.
To be self-governed is to be limitlessly and all-powerfully God-governed. We can all be alert to reject the notion that there is any true authority apart from God and acknowledge one God, therefore one governing power over all, healing and strengthening mankind through Christ, the true idea of God. As we do, we will experience more of the kingdom of heaven on earth, the eternal harmony of divine Love.
