From almost every angle, the world demands that we get and hold on to personal good that can be seen, felt, and – especially – owned. If owning good in some form were what actually established our individual worth, then our worth would seem to be material. It follows that not owning material things – or even not “owning” hoped-for relationships or positions or status – would mean we are less valued, less cared for. But a spiritual understanding of God leads to trust in a divine good that always provides – and with precision.
As we increasingly let go of outlining how our needs should be met, our trust in God grows, and we are able to relinquish fears and follow God’s leading.
I had an experience in which it took me too long to let go of something that I deeply valued. For a lot of important reasons, it was so right that I give my son and his kids the two-year-old dog that I had loved and raised from seven weeks old. The family had been struggling through some difficult times, and the dog’s love for them clearly brought them joy. They loved him as much as he loved them.
I’d built a bond with this dog that I thought I couldn’t let go of. But I truly wanted to give without feeling that I would lose the love he’d represented to me. I wanted to grow in my expression of God’s love.
In the book of Acts in the Bible, the Apostle Paul says, “I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (20:35, New Living Translation). I reasoned in prayer that doing the right thing must mean I could not be left without happiness. I affirmed that the flow of God’s love was uninterrupted and individually adapted, so it had to fill my heart as it was filling theirs.
Letting go of owning what is loved can seem daunting. So I prayed to remember what I’d felt of God’s care in the past. When my very active children were young, I prayed daily to know that, although I loved them immensely and was humanly responsible for their care and well-being, God was actually their forever Father-Mother and was always with them, protecting them and nurturing their development. That ongoing prayer resulted in clear-cut healings and instances of protection in dangerous circumstances as well as wonderful progress in their endeavors. (See, for example, “Turning ‘what if’ thinking around,” Christian Science Sentinel, May 1, 2017.)
I also thought of times when lost or dissolved relationships had seemed to undermine my confidence that joy was possible again. Turning to God’s ever-present, healing love had restored that joy. So, surely letting the dog live with my son and his family was a further opportunity to realize that good flows continuously and without limit from our Father-Mother God, Spirit, to Her entirely spiritual children.
Our growing awareness of infinite Love’s giving as established law, as Love’s eternal nature, opens our hearts to expect God’s blessings to continue. Everyone has opportunities to trust that divine Love meets every human need. Hoarding good or mourning its apparent loss is counterproductive. God is the infinite Giver. Each man, woman, and child is the recipient of Love’s perpetual provision, which is dependable as eternal law.
Praying consistently in this way made me certain that I was not losing the warmth of Love itself by giving this dog to my family. And very quickly, new experiences and new friends brought fresh joy to my life. Even more, the belief that I could lose the love I’d had gave way to deeper awareness that divine Love forever provides expanding goodness, uniquely adapted to each of us.
The Christian Science textbook describes it this way: “This is the doctrine of Christian Science: that divine Love cannot be deprived of its manifestation, or object; that joy cannot be turned into sorrow, for sorrow is not the master of joy; that good can never produce evil; that matter can never produce mind nor life result in death” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 304).
Humanity does not own good. It doesn’t need to. A continuous flow of whatever is necessary for well-being is always divinely close. That overflow of God’s goodness will become apparent through our trust in God’s law of love.
Adapted from an article published in the April 22, 2024, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
