Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
COVER ARTICLE
Speaking From the Heart
BY VIRGINIA HARRIS
From the August 23, 2010 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
* Originally aired on EI – November 22, 2013
In sharing Christian Science, I’ve recognized how the qualities of honesty, simplicity, and trust infuse our conversations and acts with a genuineness that speaks to the heart of those searching for spiritual solutions. Here’s how I’ve been thinking about these qualities:
Honesty. It impels us to give what we live. Speaking from our own heart and life, not letting pride or fear force us to talk beyond our present understanding or demonstration, frees us from the anxiety of thinking we’ll be misunderstood. When sharing Christian Science, I find that people relate more easily to what I say when I speak from my own individual experience.
One example that has stayed with me for many years occurred while I was reconnecting with a friend over lunch. She asked me what I was up to, and I told her that I’d become a Christian Science practitioner. She was intrigued and asked me questions. So I shared with her what was welling up in my heart, how I had begun to recognize, feel, and learn more of God’s unconditional and impartial love. She was moved and wanted to know more, and so asked for a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, which I gave her.
I shared with her a simple thought about God being divine Mind and governing everything intelligently.
Over the next couple of weeks, we talked about spiritual ideas, and I invited her to a Wednesday testimony meeting at church. As we drove home after the meeting, I asked her what was the most meaningful idea she was learning in Christian Science. She replied, “You’ll never know what it means to wake up every morning and not think of yourself as a miserable sinner!” She was grateful to have learned that God loved her unconditionally and forever maintained her perfection. Not long afterward, her daughter was healed of a chronic infection through Christian Science, and the daughter and her brothers began attending Sunday School.
Simplicity. A simple thought can be a powerful thought to those yearning for help. My experience has been that when people are struggling, they appreciate and hold on to words of hope, encouragement, reassurance, that there is a practical, spiritual solution to the challenges they face. A fuller discussion of Christian Science can naturally follow, but we should never underestimate the power of expressing a single simple thought, giving that “cup of cold water in Christ’s name” (Science and Health, p. 570).
Once while I was chatting with a realtor acquaintance, she confided that she was feeling overwhelmed by business concerns. I shared with her a simple thought about God being divine Mind and governing everything intelligently. She was reassured by that and wanted to know more. That afternoon, I gave her a copy of Science and Health, which she loved, and a week later I invited her to attend a Christian Science lecture with me. Not only was her business situation resolved, but within a short period of time she took Christian Science Primary class instruction. Several years later, her husband, who had been skeptical of Christian Science, took class, too.
One life changed is like a light that shines on those around it.
Trust. I’m convinced it’s vital to trust and be grateful for each opportunity we have to share healing ideas with others, and to resist the urge to manage or predetermine how these spiritual seeds will bear fruit. Every seed has the full potential of blessing and will yield a harvest in God’s own way. Best of all, that harvest is usually bigger than we even imagine.
One teenager whom I introduced to Christian Science was healed of a diagnosed disease that’s considered medically incurable. Her classmates who had known of her situation marveled at what seemed a radical transformation, and they asked her, “How did this happen?” She happily told them about Christian Science. Two of the boys she talked with were so impressed by her healing and insights that they began to attend Christian Science Sunday School. One of them was later healed of drug abuse and has remained an earnest student of Christian Science.
To me, each of these experiences illustrates the fact that spiritual good multiplies. One life changed is like a light that shines on those around it—the individual who is blessed goes on to bless others, who do the same in their turn. When we share Christian Science, we can expect a ripple effect of enlightenment and healing.
A cup of cold water:
Science and Health:
570:16-18