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One summer, when a friend and I were taking a vacation together, it became clear that we had completely different views and goals—so different that things she said and did hurt and annoyed me. In retrospect these differences were trivial, as I no longer even remember what they were.

A deeper study of the Bible’s book of Ephesians has captured my time and thought this year. In six chapters, we read how to “put off the old man,” a way of thinking based in matter, and to “put on the new man,” thinking based in Spirit, God.

One of the beautiful teachings of Christian Science is the truth that each moment is an opportunity to know what it means to be spiritual. As God’s image and likeness, we are not physical bodies with a temporal shelf life; rather, each of us is caused and created by Spirit, God.

Running a little late one morning years ago, I sat down to quickly read the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly, hoping to glean an inspiring idea to take to work with me. The Lesson included the story of Daniel thrown into a lions’ den for his refusal to stop praying to God.

When a fishing boat leaves the harbor, it’s guided by buoys that mark the channel. These are a huge help in keeping the vessel from running aground.

Legend has it that upon noticing his body displaced a certain amount of water as he got into a bathtub, Archimedes made an important scientific discovery, causing him to exclaim, “Eureka!” One night I had my own eureka moment—in the bathtub—that involved the displacement not of H 2 O but of a false concept of my relationship to God. Earlier that day an article in the Journal titled “ God doesn’t have grandchildren ” had caught my attention.

That question popped into my head once again. As a teacher coach, I visit many different schools within a week, and I often try to remember the outfit I wore on the previous visit to each school.

I had become very competitive while driving. On the road, I often saw myself and others engaged in one-upmanship, where I would maneuver my vehicle to “beat” them as though it were a race.

I lost my job because of the pandemic. With millions of folks overwhelming the system, filing for unemployment insurance in my state was difficult to impossible.

“Bless the past. ” That new idea, shared by a friend, was a powerful wake-up call to me.