In my last blog post, I shared my story about not doing a spiritual bypass around the car accident I was in. I stayed in the present moment, not trying to fix my pain with spiritual treatment.
I explained that spiritual bypass is when I will do just about anything to keep from feeling difficult emotions. In the case of the car accident, I thought I could treat and know that I was perfect, whole, and complete and then just drive on to work after i had been rear-ended at a high velocity, just because I was able to walk and breathe.
But today I want to talk about another spiritual bypass. I’m telling you, this car accident is such a blessing for being a place of great spiritual growth.
So now I’m in physical therapy and going to a chiropractor and a CranioSacral therapist for the injuries I experienced during the car accident. With each treatment, I feel healthy, all relaxed, and all floaty-in-a cloud great.
But, each therapist gives me homework- like physical exercises to strengthen my neck and shoulders, instructions on icing and heating, lose weight, and cutting out sugar.
Last week, when I looked at the three pages of exercises the physical therapist gave me to do, I thought to myself, “Can’t someone else do the exercises for me and let me have the healing? Can’t some one else lose the weight for me?” It was like I wanted some version of a Dorian Grey portrait in my back room to be doing all the work and I’d just return to normal, feeling perfect, whole, and complete. Poof! Like that.
That is the other spiritual bypass I tried to do last week- where I perverted Science of Mind principle to think that all I needed to do is treat for myself. Thinking that if I knew the truth strongly enough, I could just continue along as if the accident hadn’t happened, and I wasn’t injured. It was like I was treating to be able to defy the law of gravity and fly on my own volition, bypassing the action that God can only do through me.
In Science of Mind, we have a saying: “Treat and move your feet.”
Yes, we pray and know wholeness, but then we must move heaven and earth in the way of action to bring wholeness about. Ernest Holmes said that Science of Mind does not promise something for nothing. He did say, however, that if we comply with the Law, the Law complies with us. The mind must conceive before the Creative Energy can produce; yes! But I must be the avenue through which God can work. God is ready and willing; it is Its nature to spring into being through my thought and action.
Will I get my healing if I do spiritual mind treatment but don’t do the exercises on my own? Maybe, probably, but it will take a lot longer. By doing the exercises, I am taking responsibility for my own healing, allowing Spirit to work through me.
Thank you!
This 5 Minute Talk was presented at the Center for Spiritual Living Granada Hills during one of our services by Rev. Jessica FIsh. Talks are always given by a Science of Mind Licensed Practitioner. For more talks like this and to learn about the Science of Mind, please visit our Center’s website and plan to attend one of our Sunday or Wednesday night services.
Photo by Br3nda on Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.