Like many other Americans, I love to study the history of our country, especially our “Founding Fathers.” To me, their intelligence, integrity, and courage seem almost miraculous. I love to read about them to find what influenced them greatly – what made them great, and often I find it was the Bible.
George Washington stated, “It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible.
In today’s world, where the Bible is often scoffed at and ridiculed, his words should certainly give all of us pause. Far from being antiquated, the inspired Word of the Bible is still ahead of our time in its wisdom, guidance and examples of courageous lives.
After a lifelong, deep search, Mary Baker Eddy found the Bible to contain laws of God that are actually a demonstrable science of healing. She called these laws Christian Science.
In her monumental book on healing and salvation, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she wrote, “Like our nation, Christian Science has its Declaration of Independence. God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience.” As we understand the laws of God’s healing and redeeming power, we are “declaring our independence” from fear and its effects, and this brings release from destructive behavior, illness, and the effects of accidents.
For instance, one evening I stumbled off the front porch of our home and badly injured my ankle. I turned to the Bible and found this verse: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation” (Isaiah 52: 7). It reminded me of God’s law of restoration – the power of God that heals the effects of injury.
I continued to think deeply about this Bible statement, and knew that God maintains me with “beautiful feet,” meaning that I express divine ability and agility in moving and walking. By morning, the pain was gone.
It’s a great thing to celebrate the freedom of this country, our inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And we can also open a Bible and find our God-given rights to abundant life, liberty and happiness, including freedom from pain and suffering. As loved children of an all-powerful and all-good God, we all have these divine rights no matter where we live.