“consciousness where 'are' you?”

Last October I was visiting family, helping out with grandchildren while my son was away on work for two weeks.  Within a few days of being there, I developed a severe cold, and flu-like symptoms, fever and a sore throat.  If there ever is a convenient time to be ill, this was not it!  Bedtime reading to the little ones was just not possible much to their disappointment, and mine.  All through my visit the symptoms continued despite my prayers.

Over the next few months I had multiple bouts of the same symptoms.  Each time I would get a healing after several days, and then find myself having to address this recurring and discouraging pattern once more.

I realized the need for a more consistent and persistent prayer to know that I was growing in my understanding of Christian Science, and that I was making progress despite the physical evidence loudly proclaiming to the contrary.

A few months before all this happened, I had been doing an in depth study with a passage from Science and Health on page 307, where Mary Baker Eddy writes: “Above error’s awful din, blackness, and chaos, the voice of Truth still calls: ‘Adam where art thou? Consciousness where art thou?’”  Many times during the day I would ask myself “consciousness where are you?”  And often the answer to that question came back saying that I was focused on symptoms, on physicality, and fatigue, and yes, on the fear of losing my voice permanently!  Each time I would nudge thought over to dwelling in Love, to dwelling more in the spiritual sense of who I really am as God’s idea.  An idea that never could be weak or vulnerable to infection.  I also held on to this passage:“… the spiritual, eternal man is not touched by these phases of mortality.” (S&H 311:31)

One day after several weeks of being free of the sniffles and cough, doubts crept in!  Is it really over?  As I prayed, the word ‘minutiae’ came to thought seemingly out of the blue.  I listened.  I turned to Science and Health and Prose Works.  I found two references in Miscellaneous Writings that spoke to me.   “This spiritual idea, or Christ, entered into the minutiae of the life of the personal Jesus.” (Mis. 166:28-30).  And, “By purifying human thought, this state of mind permeates with increased harmony all the minutiae of human affairs.”  (Mis. 204:23-25)

This was the answer I needed.  If I could keep my consciousness more consistently on the spiritual, then, that state of mind would bring harmony and healing to every aspect of my life.  I am grateful.