Gusting and pelting rain outside
and leaves of red and yellow
and orange are dancing
through the air like party confetti
and inside I’m cozy with a fire
in the woodstove and Earl Grey
tea beside me. I am content.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
Good morning, Starshine!
In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?
– Anna L. Waring (Hymn #148, Christian Science Hymnal)
“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
– I Kings 19:11-12
“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice…” – I Kings 19
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” – Mark 4
***
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods – I’ve sometimes heard people attribute these destructive events to God – using them as examples of “God’s wrath” towards his children. And when I hear people doing this it becomes apparent that they and I do not share the same concept of “God.”
The God I worship is the God defined as “Love” in I John 4. There is no wrath in my God. There is no anger, envy, or rage. The God I worship loves Her creation, and recognizes Her creation as good and lovable.
The God I worship is all-good – another name for Truth, Life, Mind, Principle, Soul, Spirit, Love. Just as light doesn’t create darkness, Truth doesn’t create error. Life doesn’t create death. Mind doesn’t create ignorance. Principle doesn’t create chaos. Soul doesn’t create ugliness and disharmony. Spirit isn’t responsible for matter. Love is not to blame for hate. And God doesn’t cause hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, or fires.
And as darkness disappears when the light touches it, so error disappears when Truth is revealed. Ignorance is destroyed by the intelligence and understanding of Mind. Hate is destroyed by Love. And evil is destroyed by the presence and power of Good – by the “still, small voice” of God.
I know that God is guiding, guarding, and caring for her Creation – that each and every one of her children is safe, enveloped in Love’s protective power, never separated for a moment from the power and presence of Good.
Everlasting arms of Love
Are beneath, around, above;
God it is who bears us on,
HIs the arm we lean upon.
From earth’s fears and vain alarms
Safe in His encircling arms,
He will keep us all the way,
God, our refuge, strength, and stay.
— John R. MacDuff
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 