Mutually aiding one another
In this post-Christian era some authors have pointed out that it's not only Christianity and its institutions that are fading away, but institutions of all sorts. Many causes have been pinpointed for this phenomena, some being more right than others. However, this still leaves us with the effects of fewer members, clubs, groups, and community involvement.
Perhaps instead of studying why this has happened, in effort to possibly go back to a time when institutions and groups were well-numbered, we should be asking how do we move forward? Where do we go from here?
Hasn't one goal of Christianity and church been to minister and to be ministered to? "...to mutually aid one another in finding ways and means for helping the whole human family"? (Eddy, Mis Wr 98).
Why?
Well, because looking around it's clear there are times in our own lives when we need ministering and times in another's life when they need ministering. Basically, we all have events in our lives that require we "mutually aid" one another, -- and need to find a way to help "the whole human family."
The original Christian, Christ Jesus, certainly ministered to others and allowed himself to be ministered to in times of need. As his modern-day disciples, we too, find a world in need of healing: defeat turned into victory.
Christ Jesus' victory sprang from his spiritual understanding of his relationship with God. He was enabled to turn the thorns of materialism into the crown of spirituality. And this is fitting for us, as well, -- as we learn to walk in his footsteps. And, we can do this by following the system he utilized: Christian Science, -- the law of God applicable to humanity.
The system of Christian Science is designed to awaken the disciple to God's Word. It is designed to lift us out of disease, lack, sin, and sorrow.
This system spiritually empowers each one of us to conquer fear and enables us to feel and see our relationship with God better.
How do we do this? One way to start is by learning more of our origin, -- our spiritual origin, -- that is God-given, God-protected, and God-caused. As we learn that our origin is in God, Spirit, and not in matter, we find our very being is spiritual. We are spiritually empowered to be the image and likeness of God, as discussed in the first chapter of Genesis.
There’s a park that is home to hundreds of prairie dogs. This particular colony is isolated from commercial growth so the city leaders have allowed them to remain on a large portion of land. They live underground and create a series of unseen tunnels that infiltrate the whole area. They’re cute and they come up out of their holes to eat, play, and get some sunshine. But if there’s any sudden movement they dash back to their holes and tunnels for safety.
This colony remains isolated because of a brick wall that surrounds the land they live on. It goes underground for several feet. This way the prairie dogs won’t dig their way to freedom by extending their tunnels under the wall.
However, this wall only rises above ground about 1½ feet.
So, picture if you will, a couple of acres of land, surrounded by a brick wall several feet deep and 1½ feet high, filled with burrowing rodents. Now picture these prairie dogs on the hind feet looking over the wall to freedom - but unable to free themselves! For you see, the only way a prairie dog knows how to set itself free is by digging in the ground, creating tunnels. They can see freedom, unlimited by walls, and unspotted by curious people, but they do not conceive of the idea of jumping or climbing the wall - even though their front feet are resting on top of it.
This presents a valuable and vivid lesson. It illustrates freedom is ever-present. It shows that no matter how deep the fear we may face or how trapped we may feel, freedom is at hand when we think spiritually. It points out that, with right thinking, thinking based on the principles Jesus teaches, liberty is not only accessible, but practical, -- for ourselves and for the human family.
Christ Jesus knew this. He knew freedom is as close as one’s thought - because thought always determines experience. He knew that constraints in matter, no matter how they’re presented, can’t confine God, Spirit. He knew if they can't confine God then they can't confine God's child, you and me, either. Christ Jesus taught, “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Matt. 3-2), and “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
Man’s relationship with God is one of inseparability. It is eternally united. And it is satisfying. It is your relationship. And nothing can get in the way of your reflecting God. God and man’s relationship has no obstacles, because there isn’t even the slightest wedge of possibility where God and man, God and you, could be divided. And because there’s no slightest wedge of possibility where Spirit’s idea, man, could be restrained by matter.
The Bible story of Lazarus and Dives states the separation between matter and Spirit. This separation is referred to as "a great gulf fixed" (Luke 16:26).
What is this great gulf that is fixed? Isn’t it the incompatibility of matter and Spirit? When we humbly search for a deeper understanding of God and man we find God and His creation, spiritual and whole.
This search is the journey we’ve all begun. And, it's a journey that mutually aids each other as we grow spiritually.
The allness of Spirit is the basis of the Christian Scientist’s life. It explains the incompatibility of matter and Spirit. Coming to understand that these two have never, and can never, mix, we come to understand spiritually, man as God made him - beyond and above mortal illusion.
This great gulf, fixed, is the obstacle that is impassable because of the impossible blending of Spirit and matter, God and materialism, creator and mis-creation.
“No man can serve two masters;” Christ Jesus taught, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). Serving God and mammon is an impossible mission. But serving the one, great God, is not only possible but profitable.
Each hour presents the opportunity to decide between Spirit or matter. Each moment we’re at the standpoint of the proverbial fork in the road, the choice between darkness and light. So, each moment we are benefited by being dedicated in following the leadings of Joshua when he taught, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).
Serving the Lord, God, is what man, God's child, does, -- and in serving God we are led to serve each other, as well.
Is there something something in your experience you wish you could change? Are you ever tempted to think that you’re doing too much, too little, too soon, too fast, or too late? These are simply suggestions based on matter, great gulfs, fixed in thought, trying to get us to bury ourself in matter and its materialism, -- to dig matter-tunnels.
There’s a children’s book called
The Bear Hunt
. The refrain goes like this:
We’re going on a bear hunt.
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We’re not scared.
Oh-oh! Mud!
Thick, oozy mud.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh, no!
We’ve got to go through it!
So, how do we overcome the great gulf fixed? Well, we can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. And we can’t go through it. We’ve got to go beyond and above it. And this is exactly what God’s child does. We go beyond and above the mortal illusions, the great gulfs fixed, the brick walls.
In fact, it would be better to say that as God's child we exist beyond and above the mortal illusions the great gulfs fixed, and brick walls because we live with God in Spirit.
So even if it appears that we’re going through something, that
we can’t go over it or around it, in reality, man, is beyond and above it. We’re beyond and above it because our creator is Spirit, God. Because God is all-powerful, ever-present. We're beyond and above it because God keeps us there. We're beyond and above it because we innately dishonor matter.
There’s a great gulf fixed. It’s the gulf of incompatibility between Spirit and matter.
We are enfolded in the very arms of God, in the bosom of our Father-Mother God. This makes us capable of rising above the claims of materialism, leaping the boundaries of materiality and sensuality, to freedom.
All this is possible because we are God's child, Spirit’s creation. And, because our world is in Spirit.
What a beautiful journey it is that leads us to Spirit, God.
