 Posted Monday, April 10, 2006 10:04 PM
|
|
|
|
For the last couple of months now, there has been a greater demand for me to find a second part-time job or a nice full-time job that would cover my financial needs. The pressure for finding a job and the stress for the lack of opportunities grew day by day until last night when I caved in. I asked God, why can't I find a job? What am I wrong? I asked God of a hint of where to go, a sign, anything.
A year ago, I came to the spiritual realization that God already knows my needs and problems before I even know I have them and that he has already provided me. All I needed to know is that my prays have been answered, my needs have been meet, and my problems solved already by God. And I had to do is reinforce this Truth through the Lord's Prayer, just as Jesus said in Matthew 6. Put God first in my life and I will be provided, always.
This way of thinking has proven to be quite effective in my life, but I can be lazy and have the tendency to procrastinate. It's something I need to work on since the True me isn't lazy, but because of it, I thought that I didn't really need to find a job because the time I REALLY needed a job was months away. That "time" was a month ago and I've been getting myself deeper and deeper into the hole I made. With each passing day the pressure on my grows that I just continue to sink into this depression, not wanting to do anything, because I feel useless and I just want to stay in bed because my dreams are far maybe than my reality. And last night, I just couldn't take it anymore.
So as I said above, I asked God, "Why this?", "Why that?" If my prayers have been answered, my needs met, my problems solved, why am I in this mess? I wished I wasn't lazy months ago and actually looked for a job when I had time. I never felt so alone in my life. I hit rock bottle.
But then I had a thought: Get out of bed, turn on the light, sit down, and listen. I thought that it was a good time to listen to my "Purpose and Employment" CD which was a collection of interviews and testimonies from the Christian Science Sentinel Radio Edition. From the first second, I started to cry. It wasn't because I was sad, but because I finally realized the Truth. It was right in front of me all along. I immediately felt the warmth and divine Love of God surrounding me. It felt as if God was hugging me from behind and whispering into me ear. I was never alone. I no longer felt unwanted or useless. No longer felt as if I had no purpose. I had one. I always had one. I have always been employed. My employer is God and he provides me purpose and supply and all I need to do is live my life expressing God. Not just say it or think it, but actually DO it, which is something that I don't do that often. It's something I need to work on and actually do the working and not just say I need to do it.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
"Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need."
They're not just words, but a way of life. And everyday that I feel, understand, and demonstrate Truth, I thank God I am Christian Scientist. I Love it!
|
|
|
Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:42 AM
|
|
|
|
hello peter,
have you ever heard the expression "God helps them who help themselves" ?
I just thank God that I'm Christian, I don't need to attach an additional label that I'm a Christian "Scientist", to effectively acknowledge that I know the Truth. The only Truth that really needs to be understood is that God loves us all no matter what, whether Christian Scientist, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal etc.....
I am delighted to read of your growth, but when will some CS's come to learn that the realization of the "Truth" is just as available to them as it is to others. The way we love is not attributed to our religion, it is attributed to our heart......an organ God created.
God judges our heart, our sincertity, our motives and intentions.
I love Christian Scientists, In their hearts they are loving and sincere, it just breaks my heart when they feel the need to attibute their growth in learning "Truth" strictly to their religion, without realizing that many people have had internal spiritual growth experiences, and just plain attribute it to God period.
Frogs25
Fully Relying On God for Salvation
|
|
|
Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:46 AM
|
|
|
|
Peter Frye,
Glad to hear you're doing well. I was wondering the other day about how you're doing.
During a period of unemployment a few years ago (okay, a lot of years ago), a CS practitioner/teacher/lecturer/editor of the CS Journal/etc. told me that I was already employed "exemplifying the Christ". Within a week, I had a job at a company to which I did not apply and of which I had never heard.
Since then, I cannot recall any job for which I've been hired that God's hand was not obvious. I now work for a company globally reknowned as a great place to work having come from a downsizing situation at a company not known for employee respect. My current company recruited me, that is, I didn't stand in the virtual line of hundreds of applicants for a single job. Again, until I was contacted for an interview, I had never heard of the company and had not applied for a job there.
Now, of course, I consider my fulltime job to be glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.
I thank God that I am one of His chosen children; chosen not for my perfection or my works, but rather in spite of my many flaws. I thank Him for His abiding love demonstrated even in those times I turned from Him (like yesterday, but I'm not going into those details). I thank Him for loving me enough to sacrifice His Son that I might have Eternal Life, life plucked from the hands of the enemy.
Do Go Be Man
<><
|
|
|
Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006 12:42 PM
|
|
|
|
Good to hear from you, Peter. I too have wondered how you are doing.
Best wishes in your job search.
|
|
|
Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:41 PM
|
|
|
|
frogs25,
"have you ever heard the expression "God helps them who help themselves" ?"
Yes, and that's basically what I came to the conclusion.
"I just thank God that I'm Christian, I don't need to attach an additional label that I'm a Christian "Scientist", to effectively acknowledge that I know the Truth."
Yes, but it's so clearer when you see it Scientifically, Divine Scientifically. We're all looking at the same picture, just as different angles.
"The only Truth that really needs to be understood is that God loves us all no matter what, whether Christian Scientist, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopal etc....."
Don't forget Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Athiests, etc.
"I am delighted to read of your growth, but when will some CS's come to learn that the realization of the "Truth" is just as available to them as it is to others."
It's not like that. I totally believe that the Truth is available to everyone and every Christian Scientist I know believes that too. It's just that some people have a better understanding of the Truth than others.
"The way we love is not attributed to our religion, it is attributed to our heart......an organ God created."
The heart is just an organ that pumps blood. The way we love is attributed to God and His Love for all. Also, I think you got your "hearts" confused:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_%28symbol%29
"I love Christian Scientists, In their hearts they are loving and sincere, it just breaks my heart when they feel the need to attibute their growth in learning "Truth" strictly to their religion, without realizing that many people have had internal spiritual growth experiences, and just plain attribute it to God period."
It's not like that! For one thing Christian Science is not a religion. It was never intended to be a religion and the Church of Christ, Scientist is only temporary. Christian Science at its heart is Christ demonstrated. Christian Science helps us in our understanding at demonstrating Christ's teachings day by day.
Metaphorically, Christian Science is like a Calculas class that teaches you how to understand Calculas (Truth, Christ, etc.) and apply it to everyday life. And then later on in your life, when you are comforted with a problem that involves Calculas, you can just say "Thank God I was in that Calculas class!" Because you can easily solve that problem from your understanding of Calculas. Now, this doesn't mean nobody can understanding Calculas without attending class, it just means that you had good help in your learning. And that's what Christian Science is to Christian Scientists.
Do_Go_Be_Man,
It's good to hear that we are on the same page, though I think we're on different paragraphs 
john,
"Best wishes in your job search."
Thanks! I have an interview on Friday... at the Christian Science Center in Boston.
|
|
|
Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2006 10:59 PM
|
|
|
|
Peter,
You are a good reason why I hate religion (man's or woman's doctrines) and without doubt it hates me.
Frogs 25,
You are a good reason why I love God and know without doubt He loves me.
Jan
|
|
|
Posted Wednesday, April 12, 2006 7:14 AM
|
|
|
|
Yeah Jan,
it really is that simple!
toodles
frogs
Fully Relying On God for Salvation
|
|
|
Posted Wednesday, April 12, 2006 8:13 AM
|
|
|
|
Peter:
"Metaphorically, Christian Science is like a Calculas class that teaches you how to understand Calculas (Truth, Christ, etc.) and apply it to everyday life. And then later on in your life, when you are comforted with a problem that involves Calculas, you can just say "Thank God I was in that Calculas class!" Because you can easily solve that problem from your understanding of Calculas. Now, this doesn't mean nobody can understanding Calculas without attending class, it just means that you had good help in your learning. And that's what Christian Science is to Christian Scientists."
Peter: It's interesting that you would compare the science of calculas to Christian Science. The two are not in the same league. Calculas is an exact, hard and empirical science, and if you do the caluculations in a correct way, they always come out right. This is true in all cases.
CS, on the other hand, is not a proven science, let alone a hard or empirical science at all (a scattering of testimonies from CS believers aside-never studied in controlled conditions by scientists or others ). If it were (that is, if man were exclusively spiritual and in no way material, and only lives with mortal illusions in a spirit world created by an impersonal God), the whole world would know that CS is true in an instant by the lives that CSists's lead!!!
In short, there would be no need for them to breath, drink water, eat, cut hair, sleep, go to the toilet , brush teeth, etc. etc. etc., (and of course, be sick or injured ever, because such thngs don't exist.) The truth is, if you are honest enough to admit it to yourself, you spend 99% of your life succumbing to mortal illusion just by going through your daily routines. In doing the things that I just mentioned, are you proving daily that man is exclusively spiritual? No, you are proving that he is just the opposite-both material and spiritual.
I was never a math whiz. Just the opposite. Still, math students I knew, along with math teachers, engineers, etc. had no problem with Calculas. Using your analogy with CS, how do you explain the heartbreaking stories from folks on the website of relatives, etc. who have the equivalent of a PHD in CS (as practioners, life long students, etc.) who are suffering terribly because even with all of their knowledge and devotion, they can't seem to apply "the truth" in a critical point of their lives. Along with them, their relatives and friends suffer also.
From your posts, Peter, its seems like you adhere to what TMCL calls the old CS Culture of radical reliance. He claims that that there is a new CS culture, where you are allowed to seek medical help if CS fails. He sites a few quotes from MBE (amid volumes she wrote) which are both, in my opinion, judgemental and condescending, to justify this. Although undoubtedly sincere in his beliefs, everything I read from MBE tells me your views were really hers. Even if he is correct, whether CSists are self compelled to practice CS 100% of the time (in the medical area only for the most part) or only 90-95%, they cannot escape that they practice and live a material life almost every minute of everyday by virtue of just being human.
Finally, nobody is CS has ever escaped the final "mortal illusion", and that's death (least of all MBE). IF CS were true, surely one of the hundreds of thousands of CSists would have done that by now, don't you think?o
Peter, you are young (and boy did I hate it when somebody said that to me in my late teens and 20's). At that time, I was set in a lot of ways that proved to be false. (CS wasn't one of them. By then I had dropped out of CS School, etc.) Don't
dismiss the idea that Christianity may have another way. I personally believe that God has led you here off and on
to encourage you to think and explore some new options. One way to do that would be by reading the NT from cover to cover, and let the words as written with the definitions the authors meant for them to have when they were written stand and be judged for themselves.
I pray that you will do that.
Sincerely,
|
|
|
Posted Wednesday, April 12, 2006 9:50 AM
|
|
|
|
Peter Frye,
It's good to hear that we are on the same page, though I think we're on different paragraphs
Actually, not quite sure we're in the same book, but I think you know that by now.  I consider CS as a copy of a copy of a copy heavily influenced and edited by erroneous wishful thinking. Gnosticism is gnosticism whether it's the Gospel of Thomas, Mary, Judas, etc. or S&H. Those johnny-come-lately texts simply bear little comparison to the original.
False premises lead to false conclusions whether in theology, Calculus, or any other endeavor. Though perhaps the saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day has some application to this discussion.
Boston can certainly be an exciting and eye-opening place. I pray God's blessings on your job interview and whatever employment He provides for you.
Do Go Be Man
<><
|
|
|
| | |