Q: Can we pray about technology "viruses," like we might pray about disease?

This is the current "Question of the Week" on JSH-Online, and what I posted in response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A: Yes, I certainly do!

Most of the technology viruses I seem to hear about fall into three categories: either they were developed by someone maliciously to access private information, developed with the somewhat less malicious intent of getting advertisements in front of people, or seem to develop over time as technology begins to be out of date. So, behind all three of those types, I see mistakes about the nature of man and the universe that I can correct through prayer.

In the first case, I can know that God’s children are the direct outcomes of Him. The only thing they can manifest are His qualities of goodness, love, respect, etc. They represent divine Mind, and as such can’t include an evil intention of harming others.

In the second case, I can know that both I and whoever is trying to market things to me, can be free from a false sense of manipulation—me from being manipulated by another to think or feel the way they want me to; the other parties from feeling that manipulation is not only an acceptable, but also an effective way to achieve success in their business or cause. Again, divine Mind is supplying all of us with right thoughts and motives, and wakes us up from a deluded sense of human will as something effective.

In the last case, I handle it as a belief of aging. I mean, isn’t the way we think of aging technology eerily similar to how we think of aging material bodies? I love the explanation I read/heard somewhere recently in one of the periodicals that what we think of as aging is just an accumulation of false beliefs that we haven’t handled, that is, seen the nothingness of. And that’s just how we think of old technology—it isn’t properly squashing new security threats, and so it gets slow, malfunctions, or—we even use this word for it—dies! 

So, to counter this type of imposition, we can take a few steps that are a lot like prayer to heal or prevent disease. Updating our anti-virus software is a lot like working with the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures—possibly through the Weekly Bible Lesson—to glean new ideas or new applications of ideas and use them in our daily lives. Learning to spot email scams is a lot like becoming so familiar with Truth, God, that anything erroneous is really obvious to us and we dismiss it instantly. And deciding when to upgrade to new technology is a lot like listening for inspiration about when it’s appropriate to move on to new life experiences, such as jobs, homes, or relationships—or when it’s time to move up higher in our reliance on God in any kind of situation, including for our sense of health and well-being.

So I think it’s mostly about being alert, listening for inspiration—to our intuition or spiritual sense, and acting on the guidance we’re given. Those activities preserve us from all kinds of ills—bodily and technological included.

Q: How have you prayed about loneliness -- moving to a new city, changing schools, making friends, etc.?

This is the current "Question of the Week" on JSH-Online, and what I posted in response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A: Between being an army brat and moving out on my own, I've never really stayed settled anywhere for longer than a few years. So when I started studying Christian Science just before transferring to a university where I didn't know anyone, this paragraph with the marginal heading "Uses of adversity" from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy stood out to me:

Would existence without personal friends be to you a blank? Then the time will come when you will be solitary, left without sympathy; but this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love. When this hour of development comes, even if you cling to a sense of personal joys, spiritual Love will force you to accept what best promotes your growth. Friends will betray and enemies will slander, until the lesson is sufficient to exalt you; for “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” The author has experienced the foregoing prophecy and its blessings. Thus He teaches mortals to lay down their fleshliness and gain spirituality. This is done through self-abnegation.  Universal Love is the divine way in Christian Science.  (p. 266)

This gave me the impression that sometimes we're going to be alone, but it's always an opportunity for spiritual growth--to better understand God, man, and how God's laws govern everything.  After college, I thought a lot about Mrs. Eddy's definition of "wilderness" from the glossary of Science & Health.  I love that she defines its surface appearance, but then goes on to explain what's really going on in "wilderness" situations:

WILDERNESS. Loneliness, doubt, darkness.  Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence. (p. 597)

 
So I've enjoyed using the time I have alone not to be lonely, but to think about God in all the ways He is a companion and provider--what it means that God is my Father and my Mother. That He is my husband ("Thy maker is thine husband" Isaiah 54:5) and my Shepherd. I'm never alone, because He's always with me--as close to me as my own thought. Every day He's just got something so wonderful in store for me, and He delights in me enjoying it. So I've tried to take the time to listen, to feel that He's near, and just enjoy the "now" He's prepared for me. (See Psalm 23).

And if I ever struggle with loneliness, I just ask God to help me feel that He's with me. To feel at peace. It's actually our divine right to claim that as God's children. But the way I like to claim it is to simply, humbly, ask God for whatever thoughts and feelings I need that moment. I find that prayer is always answered very quickly, usually immediately, and I feel at peace again. 

Decisions, decisions!

Sometimes we're unsure about the decisions we have to make. Sometimes we feel uncertain about the big decisions, but more often we fret over some of the innumerable small ones we have to make on a daily basis. If we're striving to live a spiritually grounded, Christian life, the important part is listening for inspiration along the way.

I experienced this--in a very small way--this morning. I was already out dropping my husband at the rapid station. After that, I knew I had to make one other stop to check for packages at my in-laws' house, and I also wanted to redeem the rewards from my Panera card--a coffee and a pastry--which were expiring today. The hitch was that it's trash day, and I hadn't set out the trash yet, so I had a decision to make. (Like I said, this was certainly not a major life moment or anything.)

From the time I began to think about how to proceed with these errands, I was trying to listen to see if I had any sort of feeling that I should just skip the trip to Panera. Since I didn't, I headed that way after a short stop at my in-laws'. And again, I listened carefully as I pulled into the parking lot. And what did I find? An empty parking spot directly in front of the door. As silly as it may sound, as soon as I realized that, no, that was not a reserved spot, and yes, I was allowed to park there, I just knew that I would have time to get my coffee and pastry and still get home in time to put the garbage out. So I wasn't impatient or worried while I waited in line. I drove the speed limit the whole way home. Once there, I worked quickly, but by no means frantically, to set out the garbage and recyclables. And guess what? The garbage truck came by probably within ten minutes of me setting everything out, just as I was ready to enjoy my treats.

Now, as delicious as I knew my hazelnut coffee and cheese Danish would be, believe it or not, if I'd had a feeling that I needed to head straight home from my in-laws' for trash duty, that's what I would've done. I've just had too many experiences--big and small--that have shown me that being obedient has its rewards. In fact, it's a key theme in the Bible.  (Think of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Ruth . . . the list goes on.) And now that I'm thinking about it, I see that  practical, daily obedience has several parts. 

First, we have to be willing to let God be in charge. Not to start the day thinking that we're going to force our way through any number of tasks, but rather trust that God will show us, guide us, be with us the whole way, moment by moment--and help us accomplish whatever actually needs to be done.

Next, we have to be actively listening for any instructions God has for us, which I find tend to come in the form of intuitions--things you just seem to be suddenly aware of, seemingly out of nowhere, that would only result in good for anyone involved. 

Lastly, and most importantly, we have to act according to those intuitions to the best of our ability. You might think of it as acting up to your highest sense of what's right. If we make that choice--to do what seems the most right to us--every time we have to make a decision, it can make for some pretty peaceful days.

Just think of it: it's the difference between going to bed at night fretting over what you didn't get done or what you could've done better, or instead, even if things didn't go quite the way you'd imagined, feeling satisfied that you did your best. And when you look at it that way, the decision is simple.

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. --Psalm 57:2

[Divine] Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way.  Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action.  --Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 454

Traffic and Travel Turmoil Evaporated!

Just a couple days ago, I was returning home after visiting my grandma, who lives about six hours from where I do. I had hoped to get an early start because afternoon traffic where I live can be a bit hectic, and I really didn't want to be mixed up in it. However, as I approached the final leg of the trip, it appeared I would be arriving right smack dab in the middle of rush hour.

I called my dad to let him know, since he would be helping me unload something when I got home, and he recommended an alternate route, the one he normally took. I thanked him and told him I would think about that option. What I meant was that I would pray, listen for God's guidance, to see whether that was indeed the best option.

However, despite my best intentions, I never actually made the effort to quiet my thought. And I certainly didn't feel the calm I knew came along with listening for and hearing God's inspiration. Instead, after filling up with gas, I somewhat willfully decided to take my dad's advice and charged ahead into unfamiliar territory, with the GPS as my back-up guide.

At first I wasn't too happy about all the traffic lights--since there would have been basically none on the route I usually took--but the GPS said I'd be getting home a half an hour earlier than I had planned, so I stuck with it. Then, at probably the sixth or seventh red light, as I looked at the GPS, I realized that it wasn't set for daylight savings time...so I would actually be getting home half an hour later than if I had taken the other route.

That's when things got unpleasant. I felt so trapped! I was too far from my normal route for it to make any sense to backtrack. And I had no idea how many more traffic lights I was going to be in for! I blamed myself. I blamed my dad. I blamed my sweet grandma who I just couldn't stand to leave any earlier than I had.

Then I saw a sign for a landmark I normally passed and abruptly decided to head that way. Now, this road was gorgeous--rural and curvy, with all kinds of pretty scenery. Exactly the type I like to drive on. But I was so concerned about making good time, that instead of enjoying it, all I could think about was the guy in front of me driving below the speed limit, and how irritating it was that I never had the opportunity to pass him.

So, because I've made it a practice to recognize these negative types of thought as mistaken views of what's really going on, during this whole time, underneath the loud, irritated thoughts, my heart was quietly reaching out to God, knowing that I didn't have to indulge the negative thoughts. Not only did they make no sense (like blaming my dad because he suggested the route), but, in fact, they actually weren't my thoughts at all, because they were not how God was viewing the situation, and all my thoughts had to come from Him. I recognized this, but I wasn't yet seeing it in my experience.

And that's when Paul Simon started singing.

You know how couples sometimes have a song? Or friends have special songs to commemorate special events? Well, God and I have a song, and it's "Father and Daughter" by Paul Simon. The first words essentially say, if you wake up in the middle of a bad dream, and for a second can't remember where you are. My thought became very quiet. I was humbled. I said aloud, "This is exactly like a bad dream." And I realized that I had forgotten where I was--I was right in God's care, in His presence, because He, Spirit, was everywhere. And for the first time in the experience, I was ready to hear what God had to say, to see the harmony He was seeing. No sooner had my thought changed that way, than I came upon the road I normally took, just from the opposite direction. So from then on, I followed my normal route, and didn't even encounter any back-ups where I had anticipated them--AND I actually arrived home at the same time I'd originally predicted!

It was almost as if the whole unpleasant incident had been erased. In fact, it had--the unpleasant part--but I definitely gained some deeper insights into the way God and man relate to one another:

One was that we always need to follow our spiritual gut, i.e., our spiritual intuition about what's best to do, even in a seemingly non-life-changing event. As I looked back, I realized it had felt right all along to go the normal way. So all along, God was telling me what to do--I just wasn't listening!

Which leads into the next insight--God is always guiding us. The ideas we need--the right thoughts and right feelings, the practical guidance--are always knocking at the door of our thought, so to speak. But if we let the volume of a mental complaint stereo get cranked up too high, we can't hear the knock at the door. I had certainly proven that.

Now, those were both things I'd essentially already known. But the third insight was new to me. As it turned out, I had been thinking that I was responsible for my thought. That it was up to me to make the situation better by listening to God. But God is always in charge. Not only is He our divine Parent, our Father who shelters and cares for us like the dad in the Paul Simon song, but He is divine Love itself. Because Love is perfect, He has already seen to every need we have, meeting it perfectly.

And here's where I'll mention something I didn't earlier. That Paul Simon song was one of 383 songs in a playlist on my iPod, and I had it on shuffle. I had no way of knowing when that song would come up. But it did come up, not just at the moment that I needed it, but at the moment that I was ready to benefit from its message. I didn't do that. God did. So He not only sent me the thought and feeling I needed, but did it in such a way that it broke through the hypnotism of the negative thoughts. They simply evaporated when the sense of God's deep and special love for me came to consciousness. It's something so precious that my words don't really do it justice. But it's something that you and I always have the opportunity to prove.

God, Love, is always in the details of our lives. We are always with Him.

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. --Jeremiah 23:24