![\"Daily](\"https://susancollinscsb.com/files/2017/02/daily-lift-logo-400.png\"){kind=logo}
An eternal Father’s Day
\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.
\n\n
This article appeared in the November 1, 2019 edition of the Monitor Daily.
\nThe beauty and blessing of loving others and putting others\u2019 needs before our own is illustrated throughout the Bible. Living a life of unselfed love and blessing others becomes natural when we realize what we are as the spiritual expressions of an all-loving God.
\n
\nListen to this article
One time while I was teaching small children in an elementary school how to develop their speech and language skills, I blurted out that I\u2019d forgotten my lunch \u2013 and was quite hungry! Suddenly a dear little towheaded boy raised his hand and asked for permission to leave the room. He was new in the area and living with his family in a local hotel while his dad looked for work.
\nHe quickly left. On his return, he approached me and most thoughtfully and generously presented me with a hard-boiled egg. His lunch! I was so moved, so touched. I\u2019ve never forgotten it. The spirit of love-impelled self-sacrifice he expressed reminds me of a story in the book of Luke in the Bible:
\n\u201cAs Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. \u2018Truly I tell you,\u2019 he said, \u2018this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on\u2019\u201d (21:1-4, New International Version).
\n\nThis lesson of the blessedness that comes when we generously give to others, and put others\u2019 needs before our own, is woven throughout the Bible. The many accounts of unselfed love by those who walked closely with God were the outcome of an understanding of God as the supreme divine good that forever blesses man. In fact, in one of the last books of the Bible, it states that \u201cGod is love\u201d (I John 4:8). If God is ever-present, infinite divine Love, it\u2019s natural for each of us, as God\u2019s spiritual children, to reflect this Love in our lives.
\nOur highest example for living a life of unselfed love is Christ Jesus. At one point in his ministry, Jesus gave what has been called the parable of the good Samaritan (see\u00a0Luke 10:30-36). In this story, a Samaritan, while traveling, comes across a savagely beaten, severely wounded fellow traveler lying by the wayside.
\n\nHe immediately determines that the injured man\u2019s needs are more important than focusing solely on his own plans. He proceeds to find him a haven for his recuperation, tend to his needs, and give the innkeeper some money for his care, assuring him he will pay any extra costs incurred during his absence. The Samaritan\u2019s wonderfully generous spirit impelled him to do whatever was needed in caring for the man, and at whatever cost to himself.
\nIn the\u00a0Christian Science\u00a0textbook, \u201cScience and Health with Key to the Scriptures,\u201d\u00a0Mary Baker Eddy\u00a0wrote: \u201c[B]lessed is that man who seeth his brother\u2019s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another\u2019s good\u201d (p. 518), and \u201cGiving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us\u201d (p. 79).
\nGiving can\u2019t impoverish us, because giving has its source in God, good, the inexhaustible Principle, divine Life and Love, that sustains and maintains us. Withholding would rob us of our purpose and reason for being, which is to express Life and Love in service to our Maker and our neighbor.
\nWhen we practice expressing this universal, impartial Love, we grow accustomed to obeying that spiritual, not material, impetus, which enables us to bless and heal our fellow man. In doing so, we discover that this willingness to give provides significantly more meaning to our own lives. And this heartfelt magnanimity often unearths capacities within ourselves that we had no idea God had given us. Truly, there is nothing more blessed than to bless others.
\n", "content_text": "This article appeared in the November 1, 2019 edition of the Monitor Daily.\nThe beauty and blessing of loving others and putting others\u2019 needs before our own is illustrated throughout the Bible. Living a life of unselfed love and blessing others becomes natural when we realize what we are as the spiritual expressions of an all-loving God.\nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/11/cs_perspective-191101-collinss-bless.mp3\nListen to this article\nOne time while I was teaching small children in an elementary school how to develop their speech and language skills, I blurted out that I\u2019d forgotten my lunch \u2013 and was quite hungry! Suddenly a dear little towheaded boy raised his hand and asked for permission to leave the room. He was new in the area and living with his family in a local hotel while his dad looked for work.\nHe quickly left. On his return, he approached me and most thoughtfully and generously presented me with a hard-boiled egg. His lunch! I was so moved, so touched. I\u2019ve never forgotten it. The spirit of love-impelled self-sacrifice he expressed reminds me of a story in the book of Luke in the Bible:\n\u201cAs Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. \u2018Truly I tell you,\u2019 he said, \u2018this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on\u2019\u201d (21:1-4, New International Version).\n\nThis lesson of the blessedness that comes when we generously give to others, and put others\u2019 needs before our own, is woven throughout the Bible. The many accounts of unselfed love by those who walked closely with God were the outcome of an understanding of God as the supreme divine good that forever blesses man. In fact, in one of the last books of the Bible, it states that \u201cGod is love\u201d (I John 4:8). If God is ever-present, infinite divine Love, it\u2019s natural for each of us, as God\u2019s spiritual children, to reflect this Love in our lives.\nOur highest example for living a life of unselfed love is Christ Jesus. At one point in his ministry, Jesus gave what has been called the parable of the good Samaritan (see\u00a0Luke 10:30-36). In this story, a Samaritan, while traveling, comes across a savagely beaten, severely wounded fellow traveler lying by the wayside.\n\nHe immediately determines that the injured man\u2019s needs are more important than focusing solely on his own plans. He proceeds to find him a haven for his recuperation, tend to his needs, and give the innkeeper some money for his care, assuring him he will pay any extra costs incurred during his absence. The Samaritan\u2019s wonderfully generous spirit impelled him to do whatever was needed in caring for the man, and at whatever cost to himself.\nIn the\u00a0Christian Science\u00a0textbook, \u201cScience and Health with Key to the Scriptures,\u201d\u00a0Mary Baker Eddy\u00a0wrote: \u201c[B]lessed is that man who seeth his brother\u2019s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another\u2019s good\u201d (p. 518), and \u201cGiving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us\u201d (p. 79).\nGiving can\u2019t impoverish us, because giving has its source in God, good, the inexhaustible Principle, divine Life and Love, that sustains and maintains us. Withholding would rob us of our purpose and reason for being, which is to express Life and Love in service to our Maker and our neighbor.\nWhen we practice expressing this universal, impartial Love, we grow accustomed to obeying that spiritual, not material, impetus, which enables us to bless and heal our fellow man. In doing so, we discover that this willingness to give provides significantly more meaning to our own lives. And this heartfelt magnanimity often unearths capacities within ourselves that we had no idea God had given us. Truly, there is nothing more blessed than to bless others.", "date_published": "2020-01-07T18:42:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-12T16:18:42-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast", "Published Articles" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/11/cs_perspective-191101-collinss-bless.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 5666995 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=431", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2019/12/17/sentinel-watch-podcast-overcoming-suicidal-thinking/", "title": "Sentinel Watch Podcast: \u201cOvercoming suicidal thinking\u201d", "content_html": "Originally posted on the Sentinel Watch podcast.
\n![\"Sentinel](\"https://susancollinscsb.com/files/2018/07/slsw_1829-mp3-image-600x600.png\")
Overcoming suicidal thinkingwith Susan Collins
\nDecember 9, 2019 – Sentinel Watch
\nDownload MP3
\n", "content_text": "Originally posted on the Sentinel Watch podcast.\nOvercoming suicidal thinking\nwith Susan Collins\nDecember 9, 2019 – Sentinel Watch\nDownload MP3\nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/12/slsw_1949.mp3\n\nOn today\u2019s edition of Sentinel Watch, we hear from a woman who faced many problems. Life was so hard that she wanted to escape from it all\u2014she wanted to take her life. It was at this point that she heard a message from God that turned her in a new direction. What she heard put her on a path to finding solutions to her problems and a new way to think and live that made life worth living. \nSo, tune in to hear how suicidal thinking can be overcome and how to discover more peace and joy and a life worth living on \u200bthis edition\u200b \u200bof\u200b \u200bSentinel Watch\u2014a\u200b \u200bweekly\u200b \u200bproduction\u200b\u200b \u200bof\u200b \u200bthe\u200b \u200bChristian Science\u200b \u200bSentinel.", "date_published": "2019-12-17T18:34:04-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-17T18:34:42-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Gabriel Serafini", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/admin/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/24bddbb394eff14300a8d1b157a5407e4c7c907bc3c74f4f50f8313e8ef70c0f?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Gabriel Serafini", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/admin/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/24bddbb394eff14300a8d1b157a5407e4c7c907bc3c74f4f50f8313e8ef70c0f?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/12/slsw_1949.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 24295088 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=353", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2019/02/14/your-daily-lift-for-february-14-2019-does-god-really-know-who-i-am-by-susan-collins-csb/", "title": "Your Daily Lift for February 14, 2019 \u2014 \u201cDoes God really know who I am?\u201d by Susan Collins, CSB", "content_html": "\nOn today\u2019s edition of Sentinel Watch, we hear from a woman who faced many problems. Life was so hard that she wanted to escape from it all\u2014she wanted to take her life. It was at this point that she heard a message from God that turned her in a new direction. What she heard put her on a path to finding solutions to her problems and a new way to think and live that made life worth living.
\nSo, tune in to hear how suicidal thinking can be overcome and how to discover more peace and joy and a life worth living on \u200bthis edition\u200b \u200bof\u200b \u200bSentinel Watch\u2014a\u200b \u200bweekly\u200b \u200bproduction\u200b\u200b \u200bof\u200b \u200bthe\u200b \u200bChristian Science\u200b \u200bSentinel.\n
\nJuly 25, 2018
\nDoes God really know who I am?
\n\n
Also published on ChristianScienceMonitor.com
\n", "content_text": "July 25, 2018\nDoes God really know who I am?\n\n\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.\n \nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/02/daily-lift-190214-collinss.mp3\n\nAlso published on ChristianScienceMonitor.com", "date_published": "2019-02-14T13:29:00-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-14T13:30:22-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast", "Published Articles", "Your Daily Lift" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/02/daily-lift-190214-collinss.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 3645941 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=339", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2019/02/05/learning-our-god-given-identity-losing-panic-attacks-published-on-csmonitor-com/", "title": "\u201cLearning our God-given identity, losing panic attacks\u201d \u2013 published on CSMonitor.com", "content_html": "This article appeared in the February 04, 2019 edition of the Monitor Daily.
\nListen:
\n
As it happens, I have almost the exact same name as a well-known politician. For this reason, some most unusual experiences have come my way. For example, I\u2019ve been given political mementos with this individual\u2019s name and received emails intended for her. I\u2019ve even received a phone call from someone endeavoring to sway me to a particular side of a legislative bill. All because my name matches that of a famous someone else!
\nThis has led me to consider a more substantial way in which we can also be misidentified. We become so very used to seeing ourselves purely in terms of personal characteristics, our human ups and downs and even our visible features, that we may not realize there\u2019s another way of identifying ourselves \u2013 a spiritual way, and it actually gives us a clearer sense of our identity.
\nThere are many ways the Bible reveals this deeper, spiritual identity, but I\u2019ve been particularly inspired by a passage in the Scriptures that tells how, when Jesus was baptized, there was \u201ca voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased\u201d (Matthew 3:17). God knew precisely who Jesus truly was. Jesus pleased Him.
\nWhile Jesus\u2019 identity as the Son of God was unique, there\u2019s a lesson here for all of us. If God is our creator, as the Bible informs us, each of us too must be one of His beloved children, Her unique heir. And since God is Spirit, we are in fact the very expression of spiritual attributes, such as wholeness and beauty. I like to think of everyone\u2019s true nature as analogous to a gorgeous bouquet or a harmonious symphony: We may each include the same flowers or musical notes, but we\u2019re all arranged and composed differently.
\nThis is to say, as the expression of divine Spirit\u2019s nature, each of us is spiritual, incomparable, complete.
\nI\u2019ve found that understanding how God knows us in this way is most valuable. It brings healing, taking us beyond confining, mistaken views of ourselves and others as flawed mortals.
\nAt one time in my life I began to experience severe panic attacks. I never knew when they were going to happen. I\u2019d begun to identify myself as a nervous mortal who was easily shaken and way too sensitive.
\nA doctor prescribed Valium, a rather potent tranquilizer, at quite a high dosage. Eventually I became addicted. Sometimes when a pill wore off I felt as bad as or worse than when I took it. It seemed like a vicious circle. This went on for a long time.
\nThen I learned of\u00a0Christian Science, the Science of divine Love. It made such wonderful sense to me.\u00a0Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, writes in \u201cScience and Health with Key to the Scriptures,\u201d \u201cOur proportionate admission of the claims of good or of evil determines the harmony of our existence \u2026\u201d (p. 167). I realized this wasn\u2019t about just thinking happy thoughts but about grounding one\u2019s thought in the spiritual fact of God\u2019s goodness and love for all and our true identity as His children.
\nAs I eagerly began studying these ideas, slowly, little by little, I became more and more confident that as God\u2019s spiritual offspring I was being cared for by my heavenly Father-Mother at every moment and in every way.
\nThen one day I realized I no longer needed the Valium pills and poured them down the drain. What a relief that was! I saw I could rely on God for peace of mind, poise, and health. The ongoing loving, intelligent thoughts God communicates to all His children were my medicine. And the panic attacks completely stopped.
\nLater I learned that it was generally accepted that a Valium dosage such as I\u2019d had, and with the duration of time I\u2019d depended on it, required gradual withdrawal increments. I\u2019d seen, however, that God\u2019s way was the way of deliverance. My actions left no egregious side effects. My need was so meticulously met that I knew it had to be the result of my Father-Mother\u2019s impeccable shepherding. God had kept me as He\u2019d made me: whole and free. Just as the mistaken sense of identity with those who assume I\u2019m the famous politician is thrown off when I show people who I actually am, the excitable addict view of myself that I had learned to live with was thrown off by the God-defined view and reality of my true identity.
\nWe may have the same last name as multitudes of others or a voice or face that prompts others to say, Wow, you remind me so much of my Uncle Harry, or that Channel 7 weatherman. But our loving Father-Mother could never mistake us or anyone we know for another. He knows each of us as divine Love\u2019s original witness and offspring \u2013 a distinctive, one-of-a-kind beam of God\u2019s light \u2013 and this understanding satisfies and heals.
\n", "content_text": "This article appeared in the February 04, 2019 edition of the Monitor Daily.\nListen:\nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/02/cs_perspective-190204-collinss-identity.mp3\nAs it happens, I have almost the exact same name as a well-known politician. For this reason, some most unusual experiences have come my way. For example, I\u2019ve been given political mementos with this individual\u2019s name and received emails intended for her. I\u2019ve even received a phone call from someone endeavoring to sway me to a particular side of a legislative bill. All because my name matches that of a famous someone else!\nThis has led me to consider a more substantial way in which we can also be misidentified. We become so very used to seeing ourselves purely in terms of personal characteristics, our human ups and downs and even our visible features, that we may not realize there\u2019s another way of identifying ourselves \u2013 a spiritual way, and it actually gives us a clearer sense of our identity.\nThere are many ways the Bible reveals this deeper, spiritual identity, but I\u2019ve been particularly inspired by a passage in the Scriptures that tells how, when Jesus was baptized, there was \u201ca voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased\u201d (Matthew 3:17). God knew precisely who Jesus truly was. Jesus pleased Him.\nWhile Jesus\u2019 identity as the Son of God was unique, there\u2019s a lesson here for all of us. If God is our creator, as the Bible informs us, each of us too must be one of His beloved children, Her unique heir. And since God is Spirit, we are in fact the very expression of spiritual attributes, such as wholeness and beauty. I like to think of everyone\u2019s true nature as analogous to a gorgeous bouquet or a harmonious symphony: We may each include the same flowers or musical notes, but we\u2019re all arranged and composed differently.\nThis is to say, as the expression of divine Spirit\u2019s nature, each of us is spiritual, incomparable, complete.\nI\u2019ve found that understanding how God knows us in this way is most valuable. It brings healing, taking us beyond confining, mistaken views of ourselves and others as flawed mortals.\nAt one time in my life I began to experience severe panic attacks. I never knew when they were going to happen. I\u2019d begun to identify myself as a nervous mortal who was easily shaken and way too sensitive.\nA doctor prescribed Valium, a rather potent tranquilizer, at quite a high dosage. Eventually I became addicted. Sometimes when a pill wore off I felt as bad as or worse than when I took it. It seemed like a vicious circle. This went on for a long time.\nThen I learned of\u00a0Christian Science, the Science of divine Love. It made such wonderful sense to me.\u00a0Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, writes in \u201cScience and Health with Key to the Scriptures,\u201d \u201cOur proportionate admission of the claims of good or of evil determines the harmony of our existence \u2026\u201d (p. 167). I realized this wasn\u2019t about just thinking happy thoughts but about grounding one\u2019s thought in the spiritual fact of God\u2019s goodness and love for all and our true identity as His children.\nAs I eagerly began studying these ideas, slowly, little by little, I became more and more confident that as God\u2019s spiritual offspring I was being cared for by my heavenly Father-Mother at every moment and in every way.\nThen one day I realized I no longer needed the Valium pills and poured them down the drain. What a relief that was! I saw I could rely on God for peace of mind, poise, and health. The ongoing loving, intelligent thoughts God communicates to all His children were my medicine. And the panic attacks completely stopped.\nLater I learned that it was generally accepted that a Valium dosage such as I\u2019d had, and with the duration of time I\u2019d depended on it, required gradual withdrawal increments. I\u2019d seen, however, that God\u2019s way was the way of deliverance. My actions left no egregious side effects. My need was so meticulously met that I knew it had to be the result of my Father-Mother\u2019s impeccable shepherding. God had kept me as He\u2019d made me: whole and free. Just as the mistaken sense of identity with those who assume I\u2019m the famous politician is thrown off when I show people who I actually am, the excitable addict view of myself that I had learned to live with was thrown off by the God-defined view and reality of my true identity.\nWe may have the same last name as multitudes of others or a voice or face that prompts others to say, Wow, you remind me so much of my Uncle Harry, or that Channel 7 weatherman. But our loving Father-Mother could never mistake us or anyone we know for another. He knows each of us as divine Love\u2019s original witness and offspring \u2013 a distinctive, one-of-a-kind beam of God\u2019s light \u2013 and this understanding satisfies and heals.", "date_published": "2019-02-05T23:47:00-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-05T18:43:07-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "News", "Podcast" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2019/02/cs_perspective-190204-collinss-identity.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 7841460 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=312", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2018/07/25/your-daily-lift-for-july-25-2018-your-sleep-can-be-sweet-by-susan-collins-csb/", "title": "Your Daily Lift for July 25, 2018 \u2014 \u201cYour sleep can be sweet\u201d by Susan Collins, CSB", "content_html": "
\nJuly 25, 2018
\nYour sleep can be sweet
\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.
\n\n
Also published on ChristianScienceMonitor.com:
\nToday\u2019s contributor found lasting freedom from chronic sleeplessness when she took a spiritual approach of seeking \u201cthe peace of God, which passes all understanding.\u201d
\nBy Susan S. Collins
\nMany people face chronic sleeplessness, accompanied by a desire for daily, peace-filled rest. The sleep industry is enormous: sleep masks, white noise and other machines, activity trackers, biofeedback sleep hats, prescription and over-the-counter remedies \u2013 not to mention various food combinations, videos, and reading suggestions all claiming to help us rest.
\nBut I\u2019ve found the most effective approach to be a radically different one \u2013 a spiritual one. For years I struggled with insomnia. At one point I calculated that I needed to go to bed 1-1/2 to 2 hours prior to when I actually wanted to fall asleep. At times I took medication, too. But none of this resolved the problem.
\nThen, just before commencing graduate school, I found Christian Science \u2013 the Science of the divine Mind. Through what I was learning, I saw quite quickly how our thinking impacts our experience, for better or worse. I began to see how turning our thought to God, the intelligent, always present divine consciousness, or Mind, enables us to hear the ideas He sends each of us, which bring inspiration and healing.
\n\nI wasn\u2019t too far along in this line of reasoning when I decided to call a Christian Science practitioner one evening to help me with the insomnia. Practitioners devote themselves to praying for healing when people request it, understanding and trusting always that divine Mind meets every genuine need. I don\u2019t remember everything the practitioner said that evening, but I definitely felt assured that I was deeply cherished and cared for by our Maker, God, divine Love, and that there was a solution.
\nOne idea the practitioner shared was this verse from the Bible: \u201cWhen thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet\u201d (Proverbs 3:24). What a blessed assurance! I didn\u2019t have to be afraid when I lay down to rest peacefully. I didn\u2019t need to get caught up in the anxiety-filled, angst-packed thoughts that had been keeping me awake. Because God, Mind, is Love, He communicates only good thoughts \u2013 intelligent, sweet ones. Another Bible passage assures us, \u201cAnd the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus\u201d (Philippians 4:7, Jubilee Bible 2000). When we are receptive to God\u2019s thoughts, we come to see that our being is filled with good.
\n\nAnd because we are made in God\u2019s image (see Genesis 1:26, 27), His beloved spiritual sons and daughters, we are innately able to discern which thoughts are from our divine Father-Mother and which are not. Thoughts that produce fear, hurt, disappointment, or anger are not from God. No need to commune with them! God\u2019s thoughts, on the other hand, bring peace, calm, insight, and love. These are wonderfully acceptable and healing.
\nThat night, after I spoke with the practitioner and took these ideas to heart, I was filled with awesome hope and gratitude, and I was permanently healed of insomnia. To me, this was proof that a sincere desire to know God does bring practical, healing answers to the challenges we face in day-to-day living. Our Maker cherishes each of His children and has made us all able to hear Him, understand Him, and obey Him.
\nYou too can have a peaceful and normal repose as you listen for our heavenly Father-Mother\u2019s tender, wise ministrations.
\n", "content_text": "July 25, 2018\nYour sleep can be sweet\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.\n \nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/08/daily-lift-180725-collinss.mp3\n\nAlso published on ChristianScienceMonitor.com:\nInsomnia healed\nToday\u2019s contributor found lasting freedom from chronic sleeplessness when she took a spiritual approach of seeking \u201cthe peace of God, which passes all understanding.\u201d\nJuly 25, 2018\nBy Susan S. Collins\nMany people face chronic sleeplessness, accompanied by a desire for daily, peace-filled rest. The sleep industry is enormous: sleep masks, white noise and other machines, activity trackers, biofeedback sleep hats, prescription and over-the-counter remedies \u2013 not to mention various food combinations, videos, and reading suggestions all claiming to help us rest.\nBut I\u2019ve found the most effective approach to be a radically different one \u2013 a spiritual one. For years I struggled with insomnia. At one point I calculated that I needed to go to bed 1-1/2 to 2 hours prior to when I actually wanted to fall asleep. At times I took medication, too. But none of this resolved the problem.\nThen, just before commencing graduate school, I found Christian Science \u2013 the Science of the divine Mind. Through what I was learning, I saw quite quickly how our thinking impacts our experience, for better or worse. I began to see how turning our thought to God, the intelligent, always present divine consciousness, or Mind, enables us to hear the ideas He sends each of us, which bring inspiration and healing.\n\nI wasn\u2019t too far along in this line of reasoning when I decided to call a Christian Science practitioner one evening to help me with the insomnia. Practitioners devote themselves to praying for healing when people request it, understanding and trusting always that divine Mind meets every genuine need. I don\u2019t remember everything the practitioner said that evening, but I definitely felt assured that I was deeply cherished and cared for by our Maker, God, divine Love, and that there was a solution.\nOne idea the practitioner shared was this verse from the Bible: \u201cWhen thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet\u201d (Proverbs 3:24). What a blessed assurance! I didn\u2019t have to be afraid when I lay down to rest peacefully. I didn\u2019t need to get caught up in the anxiety-filled, angst-packed thoughts that had been keeping me awake. Because God, Mind, is Love, He communicates only good thoughts \u2013 intelligent, sweet ones. Another Bible passage assures us, \u201cAnd the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus\u201d (Philippians 4:7, Jubilee Bible 2000). When we are receptive to God\u2019s thoughts, we come to see that our being is filled with good.\n\nAnd because we are made in God\u2019s image (see Genesis 1:26, 27), His beloved spiritual sons and daughters, we are innately able to discern which thoughts are from our divine Father-Mother and which are not. Thoughts that produce fear, hurt, disappointment, or anger are not from God. No need to commune with them! God\u2019s thoughts, on the other hand, bring peace, calm, insight, and love. These are wonderfully acceptable and healing.\nThat night, after I spoke with the practitioner and took these ideas to heart, I was filled with awesome hope and gratitude, and I was permanently healed of insomnia. To me, this was proof that a sincere desire to know God does bring practical, healing answers to the challenges we face in day-to-day living. Our Maker cherishes each of His children and has made us all able to hear Him, understand Him, and obey Him.\nYou too can have a peaceful and normal repose as you listen for our heavenly Father-Mother\u2019s tender, wise ministrations.", "date_published": "2018-07-25T19:35:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-05T23:46:47-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast", "Published Articles", "Your Daily Lift" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/08/daily-lift-180725-collinss.mp3", "mime_type": "", "size_in_bytes": 0 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=300", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2018/07/16/sentinel-watch-podcast-christian-science-healing/", "title": "Sentinel Watch Podcast: \u201cChristian Science healing\u201d", "content_html": "Originally posted on the Sentinel Watch podcast.\u00a0\u00a0(Susan’s segment begins around the 18:55 mark)
\nChristian Science healingwith Christie Hanzlik, Eric Horner, Jyoti Raghu, and Susan Collins
\nJuly 16, 2018 – Sentinel Watch
\nDownload MP3
Today\u2019s program has a simple premise\u2014that Christian Science heals and that we all love to hear stories about life-changing healings that result from spiritual insights and understanding.
\nSo sit back. Kick off your shoes and have a listen to our contributors sharing how their practice of Christian Science has led to complete freedom from conditions such as a chronic back problem, a growth, a painful eye, and a severe injury. Get ready to \u201cfeel the heal\u201d on today\u2019s edition of Sentinel Watch.
\nListen to just Susan’s segment:
\n\n", "content_text": "Originally posted on the Sentinel Watch podcast.\u00a0\u00a0(Susan’s segment begins around the 18:55 mark)\nChristian Science healing\nwith Christie Hanzlik, Eric Horner, Jyoti Raghu, and Susan Collins\nJuly 16, 2018 – Sentinel Watch\nDownload MP3\nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/07/slsw_1829.mp3\nToday\u2019s program has a simple premise\u2014that Christian Science heals and that we all love to hear stories about life-changing healings that result from spiritual insights and understanding.\nSo sit back. Kick off your shoes and have a listen to our contributors sharing how their practice of Christian Science has led to complete freedom from conditions such as a chronic back problem, a growth, a painful eye, and a severe injury. Get ready to \u201cfeel the heal\u201d on today\u2019s edition of Sentinel Watch.\nListen to just Susan’s segment:\nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/07/susan-collins-final-final.mp3", "date_published": "2018-07-16T23:04:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-05T23:46:47-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/07/slsw_1829.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 27365080 }, { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/07/susan-collins-final-final.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 18656408 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=281", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2018/04/12/be-single-minded/", "title": "Be single-minded", "content_html": "
\nTHURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018
\nBe single-minded
\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA
You can read Susan\u2019s article in the Christian Science Sentinel. \u00a0And you can find more inspiring\u2014and healing\u2014ideas in this week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson.
\n", "content_text": "THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018\nBe single-minded\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA\nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/04/daily-lift-180412-collinss.mp3\nYou can read Susan\u2019s article in the Christian Science Sentinel. \u00a0And you can find more inspiring\u2014and healing\u2014ideas in this week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson.", "date_published": "2018-04-12T05:53:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-05T23:46:47-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast", "Your Daily Lift" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/04/daily-lift-180412-collinss.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 10345750 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=259", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2017/06/27/your-daily-lift-for-june-2017-my-expectation-is-from-god-by-susan-collins-csb/", "title": "Your Daily Lift for June, 2017 \u2014 \u201cMy Expectation is from God\u201d by Susan Collins, CSB", "content_html": "
\nJune 2017
\nMy Expectation is from God
\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.
\n\n", "content_text": "June 2017\nMy Expectation is from God\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.\n \nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/02/My-Expectation-is-from-God-Daily-Lift-by-Susan-Collins.m4a", "date_published": "2017-06-27T20:21:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-05T23:46:47-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast", "Your Daily Lift" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2018/02/My-Expectation-is-from-God-Daily-Lift-by-Susan-Collins.m4a", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 1327504 } ] }, { "id": "https://susancollinscsb.com/?p=222", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/2017/05/03/your-daily-lift-for-may-1-2017-a-whole-new-you-by-susan-collins-csb/", "title": "Your Daily Lift for May 1, 2017 \u2014 \u201cA whole new you\u201d by Susan Collins, CSB", "content_html": "
\nMONDAY, MAY 1, 2017
\nA Whole New You
\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.
\n\n", "content_text": "MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017\nA Whole New You\nSusan Collins, CSB, from New York, New York, USA.\n \nhttps://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2017/05/daily-lift-170501-collinss-2.mp3", "date_published": "2017-05-03T01:22:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-05T23:46:47-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Susan Collins, C.S.B.", "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/author/susancollins/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0bb7912b4b45a14fddf7d11f4800f7aa93a4f9f6e6c71df4d55fe83fe13bf9e?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Audio", "Podcast", "Your Daily Lift" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://susancollinscsb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/468/files/2017/05/daily-lift-170501-collinss-2.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 3490100 } ] } ] }