Susan McFarlane CS
“All nature teaches God’s love to man,” (S&H 328:8).
Consider the black walnut tree. The pod that encases the precious seed is so hard that even driving a car over it can sometimes fail to release the seed. But plant it in the ground under clumps of earth, and in the fullness of time, pushing away the clods, against all human odds, a gentle white stem emerges from the soil. Is not this the Christ, the power of God, at work?
Consider the Monarch butterfly. Its little body, no heavier than a paper clip, its wings as fragile as tissue paper, takes a journey of 4,000 miles from southern Canada to winter in the oyamel fir forests of Mexico. Every need is provided for the journey, from the milkweed pods for food, which contain toxins to ward off predators, to thermal air currents to make a highway for this beautiful event. Is not this the Christ, the power of Mind at work?
Consider time I spent in a Christian Science nursing facility like Broadview. I prayed to find healing from a very painful abdominal problem. After 12 days, when the pain was gone, I felt the time had come to make my journey home. Unlike the Monarch, I felt fear and doubt that the healing was complete.
A nurse came to my room and reminded me of the story of Blondin, as recounted in Science and Health, who walked a tight rope over Niagara Falls. The nurse had additional knowledge that one time Blondin had put a man on his shoulders to take the perilous walk. His two instructions to the man were: don’t look down and don’t try to control the situation. After a few steps out on the wire, the man did look down at the turbulent water and did try to control the outcome. Again Blondin gave two directions: look up and trust. With that, they arrived safely at the other side. (Look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen,” (II Cor 4:18).) The treatment was complete. It was so clear. I could look up to Spirit and trust that divine Mind, not mortal fear, would lead me home, knowing I was whole. Is not this the Christ, the power of Love at work?
Following Jesus’ resurrection, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The Christ, that divine manifestation of God that comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error, (S&H 583:10), “that imprisoned splendor,” (Paracelsus, Robert Browning) No earth-bound resistance, no improbable circumstance, no fear of material belief can oppose our living this Truth. Is this not the Christ, deep within each one of us?