A guest post written by Lani Meanley Collins

Life is full of blessings, but what I’ve noticed is that the human mind likes to dwell on the negative rather than on the blessings. If we’re not careful, we may find we are accepting this “trick” of negative thinking and see life as half full – or completely empty – and loose sight of these blessings. To combat this trend, I work to yield to the Christ, “wisdom, purity, spiritual understanding, spiritual power, love, health and holiness” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy). Yielding to the Christ allows negative thoughts to be consumed, and my thought becomes purer, until I radiate the blessings of life. This focusing thought on blessings brings healing.

Let me give you an example. I was driving to work one day and found myself rehearsing unpleasant memories about a conversation with a family member, which was a repeat of previous conversations. I desperately wanted to help him, and he genuinely wanted my help, but most of our attempts had failed, ending in hurt feelings or anger. This had persisted for a few years and I found myself overeating to combat the stress and discomfort of the situation. Gaining weight then caused me more stress – I did not want to buy larger clothes! As I began to feel myself slip into hopelessness about the situation during the drive, I realized that I had a choice. I could take the bait and go down into the mental pit, or I could view this situation as an opportunity to further my spiritual growth.

Seeing that I did have a choice gave me the opportunity to not sink into that pit. Instead I chose healing. In that instant, the hopelessness lifted. I did not know humanely how to solve the problems, but that no longer consumed my thought. Rather, I knew God would guide, and that satisfied my human yearning. I realized that this insight applied to any situation: I could choose to believe a particular person, place, or thing could hinder growth, or I could view the person, place, or thing as fuel for spiritual progress. God would lead the way.

So the lesson is – don’t take the bait. My Mom use to say, “don’t let so and so get your goat.” Dredging up the past may be justifiable on the human level, but it is not where God sees us. Rather, I find yielding to the love of Christ and expecting good for myself and for every person, place, and thing nurtures everyone’s talents. When I listen to God, his wisdom reveals to me what is spiritually true.

In this way I can “dwell in the house (the consciousness) of divine Love, forever.”