Principle: permanent and powerful

Charles Ferris | from The Christian Science Journal

“ROCK” (see Ps. 18:2).

“LAWGIVER” (see Isa. 33:22).

The immutable Creator “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

These potent definitions of God don’t leave much room for doubt about His constant care. Yet many people who look to God for help aren’t always sure that help will come. But how about a concept of God that cannot possibly allow for any doubt whatsoever—the concept of God as divine Principle?

If we look at situations according to what the five senses tell us, we will always be misguided. By its very nature, the material view is limited and temporary. Yet we can’t just ignore it. We have to deal with it—by understanding how this distorted view distracts us from finding a more reliable foundation.

Prayer starts with seeing God as the cause of all that really exists.

It isn’t always easy. In fact, it can seem downright daunting. This is where prayer comes in, and it starts with seeing God as the cause of all that really exists. If this sounds abstract, consider that everything you’re aware of is what you think. The world may seem to consist of objects and conditions outside our thinking, but actually our experience is made up entirely of mental perceptions. It’s like a dream we have at night. Everything is admitted to be mental, even though in our dream we might see physical bodies, trees, buildings, etc. Yet when we wake up, where have they all gone? In the same way, we can wake up to higher perceptions of our experience, completely in line with divine Principle—undistorted and permanent.

So how do we unite with this Principle as the source of everything good in our lives? I find it powerful to think of the qualities associated with perfect Principle. They point to a reality beyond limited, material appearances.

Love. As a quality of Principle, love is compassionate and caring. To show His love, God insists that only His own perfect nature can be expressed in us or by us. Every true healing, every real resolution of a human challenge, testifies to the tender presence of divine Principle replacing to some degree the material evidence that obscures our God-given identity. Love, as a quality of Principle, demands and empowers this inspired result.

God as divine Principle is always present and always operative.

Availability. Unlike a human person, who can be present at one moment, absent the next, or willing to “be there” one time and unable to help the next, God as divine Principle is always present and always operative. We may feel that we are capable of experiencing a condition that is contrary to the harmony this Principle has determined for us. But if we see this discord as real, then we’re buying into the illusion that God is less than the supreme Principle governing every aspect of our lives.

Consistency. Principle operates on a dependable, unchanging basis. It’s expressed through laws that govern everyone equally. In fact, these laws determine the individuality of each person, because they designate our right actions and true conditions in fresh, always creative expression. So no one is excluded from the benefit and support of Principle and its laws.

Infinitude. This quality tells us there is an infinite range of opportunities for good that we can draw on. Even more extensive than Google, Principle has a boundless universe of divine ideas defining our eternal identity. Principle not only informs us as to who and what we are, it provides the infinite resources that are the substance of our lives and experience.

Everything about Jesus expressed the divine nature as the perfect Principle of his being.

Wasn’t Jesus endorsing these four qualities of Principle when he described his inseparable relationship to God: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30)? Everything about Jesus was derived from God and expressed the divine nature as the perfect Principle of his being. Mary Baker Eddy followed the Master’s teaching of the oneness and inseparable nature of God and man. She asked, “Is there more than one God or Principle?” Her answer: “There is not. Principle and its idea is one, and this one is God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Being, and His reflection is man and the universe” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 465–466). Her discovery of Christian Science amplified our understanding of this oneness of God and man, Principle and idea, through explanations that we can apply to the healing of disease and the removal of every kind of human obstacle.

Principle-based business model

This application of the spiritual laws of good includes what appear to be the pressing, present-day issues in the news. Take the economy. Today we’re confronted with many widespread financial problems: heavy credit card debt, stock market reverses, worldwide recessions—along with having to provide income to meet our daily needs.

Here’s how a friend of mine relied on divine Principle when he faced a financial crisis in his business. The founder and president of a graphic design firm, he took on a contract to promote a new line of products. The contract was sizeable, running into seven figures, but as the campaign progressed, he started getting complaints from the client.

Divine laws govern everyone and work for the benefit of everyone.

My friend’s business had been built sincerely on all those qualities of Principle I mentioned earlier. He knew that divine laws govern everyone and that by his obeying these laws, they would work not just for him, but for the benefit of everyone. My friend also knew that these qualities of divine Principle were available and present at all times, shutting out any possibility of delay or misunderstanding. They constituted the spiritual reality of the situation, right then and there. Further, he believed there was no limit to the good ideas that God, as universal Principle, was providing in this situation, as well as in all situations.

At one point the circumstances became so heated that there was talk of a lawsuit to withhold a major portion of the payment. But my friend continued to trust the integrity of the work going on and the God-sourced integrity of everyone involved. Then the other firm discovered a misunderstanding in their own department in regard to the billing. It turned out that they realized my friend was fulfilling his responsibility perfectly. The project went forward successfully, and the client agreed to pay the full amount of the contract. Interestingly enough, during this entire period while my friend was holding faithfully to his trust in divine Principle, not only was the original account safeguarded, but additional business developed of an equal size. This was an impressive growth for his firm. And why not? Principle always brings forth abundant ideas, which translate into productive and beneficial results.

Harmony in communication: an ear to Principle

Another issue pressing on most people today is the great need for harmony in relationships. With divorces all too common, and relations among nations on dangerous grounds, it’s essential that we find answers. Frequently, I have conversations with couples where one partner says that the other partner is failing to meet his or her “emotional needs,” which greatly affects the harmony of their day-to-day interaction. To me, this indicates a heavy reliance on the actions and attitudes of others for happiness and fulfillment. When our own expectations are not being met in the specific ways we’ve outlined, communication breaks down, and blame sets in. We see this not just between individuals, but on a world scale as well. But regardless of how big or small the conflict, the solution lies in looking to divine Principle as the governing power. Science and Health defines man as “God’s spiritual idea, individual, perfect, eternal” (Science and Health, p. 115). This tells us that Principle has already established harmony between all of its ideas—including each one of us to the other.

Seeing humanity in this true light is more than simply taking a positive attitude. It’s how we free ourselves from the mortal, personal sense that involves selfishness, fear, and self-righteousness. When we drop this limited and limiting perspective, we then can appreciate in one another a spiritual generosity that wants good for all and realizes why such good is always present and expressed. Divine Principle supports and protects us from today’s influences of lust, pride, and envy. It promotes the actions and attitudes that contribute most to our spiritual progress.

The body: built on Principle

This higher view of the body brings freedom and heals in the same way as when Jesus healed.

A third area that’s constantly in front of us is the preoccupation with physical health. With such developments as genetic testing, probing, and predicting the diseases people are likely to experience, it’s hard to find any assurance of continued well-being. But what is the body? Is it a composite of nerves, organs, and cells? Is it subject to material so-called health laws, which constantly vary and change from moment to moment with each individual? Or is the body a consciousness of unchanging wellness where every true condition and function is permanent and performs exactly as it should? This higher view of the body is effective in bringing freedom and healing in the same way it was when Jesus healed and declared, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). What other expression of divine Principle could there be but universal, unbreakable divine laws?

My wife and I saw this proved a few years ago. We were traveling, and Rosemarie came down with a heavy case of pneumonia. As the symptoms continued, we called for extra, prayerful help from a practitioner. After praying several days to convey to my wife her true spiritual nature and the inability of any other power to influence her, the practitioner told her tenderly, “You have to commune with God.” In her distress, my wife said to her, “I don’t know what to say.” The reply was, “You can say, ‘God, I love you,’ can’t you?” Rosemarie told her, yes, she could. “Say it,” the practitioner gently replied. My wife said, “God, I love you.” Then, from the practitioner: “And what does God answer?” Silence. Finally, the practitioner said: “God says, ‘I love you, too.’ And why does God love you?” More silence. “God says, ‘I love you because I made you.’ ” Suddenly my wife was filled with this message: I love you because I made you. It was a holy moment. She felt her total unity with God as her creator. The healing came quickly.

This healing, and every healing that ever occurs, is the union of Principle and Love, conveying the immutable nature of our Maker. God’s activity springs from His infinite, divine identity—beneficent, preserving, endlessly showing itself in new and wonderful forms as our true being. Our purpose is to be this creation—each one of us testifying to our only source—the infinite, divine Principle, God.

Charles Ferris is a Christian Science practitioner and teacher. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.