What should we trust — what do we trust? Naturally we all found we trust people, places and things in every aspect of our lives. If these are seen as no more than dualistic concepts, there will be fluctuating good and bad results. While most students of Christian Science try to realize the divine idea underlying every concept, thus protecting it, no one claimed to come close to trusting God as fully as we thought we should.

Now a bombshell. A member pointed out that trusting God is semi-metaphysics (see Science and Health, p. 268:14-2) since it sets up a separation between God and man, implying that a mortal is leaning on some belief in God. Really no better than leaning on a person. Others hastened to defend trust in God as showing the distance between God and a mortal. Indeed, "trusting God"is an apt description of the first stage in the process a mortal supposition must undergo in preparing to self-surrender in the light of God's all-presence. Everyone agreed on what the final (and in reality initial) state of affairs is: God being man.

Our group has looked at [#topic=19990819#] once before. There we saw that Trust and Truth come from the same root. This linkage caused one member to suggest we get beyond words like God and matter — both highly technical terms in Christian Science anyway — and actually know the Truth, be the Truth, that is our freedom. "Divine Love meets our human need if we are being the Truth,"said he. "Yes, and Truth meets our need even when we're not consciously being it,"added another, "since it's the basis of our divine selfhood, always pressing us on to higher and broader views of existence, even when appearances at first look like a problem."

Problems are purposive, if viewed with Science. Some trust in matter, whether portrayed as relationship, supply or health is being exposed for healing in Science. God does not give us a scorpion when we ask for a fish, so the problem would have to come from leaning on a belief in good — subject to reversal into evil — which needs surrender into the experience of reflecting God, good, alone.

Here are some material trusts members reported having worked on:

1) Trust in medical care. If mortals lean on mortals, problems are almost certainly assured. This applies to help from medical and Christian Science practitioners. The following was read from Science and Health: "If Christian Scientists ever fail to receive aid from other Scientists, — their brethren upon whom they may call, — God will still guide them into the right use of temporary and eternal means."(p. 444:7-10) One member, based on his own Christian Science Teacher's thought, felt that all healing procedures should be accorded eternal status in our thinking.

2) Trust in beauty. A member, residing in a part of town where beauty is not a rare commodity, read this from the Textbook: "The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul, to retreat from the belief of pain or pleasure in the body into the unchanging calm and glorious freedom of spiritual harmony."(p. 247:31) He felt we should be finding our beauty and that of others in Soul, not through the dualistic senses. But how? By being Soul, the infinite reflection of the infinite God, including all as divine idea — the essence of beauty. "... Have less illusion,"could be restated as, "...turn on the light,"to what's really there.

3) Trust in diet and exercise. One member has leaned on this one big time for a couple of decades. He knows what Mrs. Eddy says of them, but also knows his earlier experience in pigging out and then trying to pray away the results. So he is seeking and finding moderation in his appetites and addictions, which now include excessive exercise. The whole situation is being re-visioned in Science.

One member outlined work he did at the Wednesday testimony meeting at his branch church. The readings were on Light. He saw that he was depending on certain people or actions to solve current economic and international situations. For instance, was Greenspan going to cut the Fed funds rate, was consumer confidence going to stall out, was the market finally seeing capitulation? Similar dualistic questions underlay his handling of the Israeli/Palestinian and Chinese/American situations. He suddenly realized there would be no healing energy generated by that kind of rumination. He allowed the readings and testimonies to guide his thought into the realization of the oneness of Mind controlling all events. He felt peaceful and hopeful afterwards and could "see through"whatever actions might be occurring on the belief plane to the perfection underneath.

Here are some healings reported:

1) One member is just getting back into Christian Science after years investigating other metaphysical approaches. She says her participation in the group has helped her re-learn the method of scientific prayer. She has also been able to shake off a severe depression and get moving with her career again.

2) An internet friend was quite concerned about a lecture she was to give before 200 students concerning French film — particulary the state of projection equipment on which clips would be shown. She prayed with the seven synonyms for God as described by Mrs. Eddy on page 465 of Science and Health. All fear left her and she was at peace. The lecture went very well, even though the equipment broke down. She was able to continue lecturing while a student volunteered to go for help to get the projector functioning again.

For next week, we'll look at Easter/Passover.