Articles

Are we attempting , with God’s help or without, to build a grand and noble life? Or are we allowing the excellence of the life God has already given us to appear? Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures states, “We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 248 ).

Like most small airplanes, ours has something called a transponder. This instrument allows an airplane to be recognized by an airport control tower.

Both ancient and modern history have shown what ultimately happens to widely believed yet mistaken concepts. Absolute facts slowly erode them until they finally crumble.

There is a perennial yearning in human nature to be and do better. We might notice that we have felt this impulsion more acutely when our efforts to reach a cherished goal appear to be failing.

The compass needle always points north. The attractive force never denies the needle, nor can the needle deny the attraction.

Recently, a friend told me about how she had started offering to pray for people in her community when they mentioned they were having a problem with something. It could be anything: a back problem, travel issues, whatever.

In the Bible it is recorded that after the Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt and were being led by Moses to the Promised Land, Pharaoh changed his decision to free them and pursued them to bring them back into slavery.   When the Israelites saw their previous captors pursuing them with horses and chariots—the advanced military vehicles of that age—they became afraid.

How often do we find ourselves mentally condemning someone for an opinion or action with which we don’t agree? Christ Jesus was once approached by a group of religious leaders, who brought with them a woman they had condemned for adultery (see John 8:1–11 ). They were ready to kill her by stoning.

The weather forecast for the day was hot, so I set out unusually early on my daily walk. I noticed the birds singing their cheery songs and thought of these words from one of Mary Baker Eddy’s hymns:  Brood o’er us with Thy shelt’ring wing,      Neath which our spirits blend Like brother birds, that soar and sing,      And on the same branch bend.

Making decisions can involve the promise of new adventures and opportunities. At the same time it can feel overwhelming.