When we encounter political, financial, interpersonal, or physical troubles, we generally want to know what the cause was, so that we can change the damaging effect. But often things seem beyond our control. What is the answer?
Have you ever thought of yourself and others as the effect of one infinite cause, God? While we learn from the book of Genesis in the Bible that God’s creation is infinitely good and spiritual, the material senses tell us differently. Spiritually understood, it’s not true that we have such senses, therefore what these material senses seem to report is not accurate. When police officers take statements from witnesses, for instance, they often find that individuals have seen and heard different things. The key is to see things from a spiritual perspective, to see as our Father-Mother God sees.
This week’s Christian Science Bible lesson on the subject “God the Only Cause and Creator” gives insight into this spiritual way of living – of knowing ourselves as the effect of one cause, divine Love, held within Her peace, permanence, and control.
A man dearly loved his son (see Matthew 17:14-18). And he was concerned for him, because at unpredictable times the son would lose control of his body and fall to the ground. The father sought help from Jesus’ disciples, but to no avail. Then, he reached out to Jesus.
Then and there, the son had convulsions. He once again fell to the ground, right in front of Jesus, which would have been an alarming picture to others around them (see Mark 9:20). But Jesus responded with divine authority, understanding that the one and only cause and source of this boy’s being was Spirit, God. Knowing that a perfect God, Love, couldn’t create or allow defects in His spiritual offspring, because God causes only good, Jesus “rebuked the devil.”
That is, he refuted the wrong conception of the child. Since God is divine Principle, the source of all good, Jesus knew that nothing but good could touch the child, and the child was free.
Because God is infinite, all-powerful, and completely good, there is no cause, power, or life apart from God. Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, says in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” on page 207: “There is but one primal cause. Therefore there can be no effect from any other cause, and there can be no reality in aught which does not proceed from this great and only cause.”
Most of us think we are entities separate from God trying to navigate a dangerous and complex world. We feel we must be in control of every situation in order to survive. Sometimes we feel at the mercy of other people, situations, or disease. But we can know that we are not helpless; we can rise to the recognition that we are the purely good reflection of one perfect cause, God.
I had an experience in trusting God as the only cause instead of trying to take control personally. While riding my horse up a mountain trail, a large dog ran to us at full speed, hackles up and barking. No owners were in sight. The dog snapped at my horse’s chest and legs. In that moment, I knew I had a choice to make. I could choose to try to control this chaotic and frightening scene myself or I could turn to God as the only cause and creator here and now. I chose to pray.
I affirmed that God, Love, was surrounding us and was all that could affect us. And I understood that it was Love that guided us, not fearful and angry thoughts about this loose dog. It felt as if we were in a movie, calmly swirling around, facing the dog. My horse remained calm and obedient. He faced the snapping teeth without reaction. We must have been turning for at least 10 minutes before the owners appeared. At first, they tried to call the dog unsuccessfully, but they were finally able to pull him away. We continued down the trail for our ride.
The cause certainly seemed to be a dog that was acting dangerously and the effect could have been traumatic. But hatred and evil have no power to touch Love, the cause of all being. This truth was proved again later when my horse and I met some other, bouncy dogs and felt no fearful aftereffects. I simply felt love for all.
A statement from the Bible lesson says, “Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity” (Science and Health, p. 507). We can know and experience that God truly is the one and only cause and creator and governs all in harmony.
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