LOOKING... and SEEING!

I was watching the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves today on television and they were  suited up wearing “throwback uniforms”, replicas of the Detroit Stars and Atlanta Black Crackers, two early Negro League baseball teams. Apparently today was the nineteenth Annual Tribute game celebrating the contributions of players from the old baseball Negro Leagues .

Suddenly, watching the tribute, my thoughts faded from the game and  were transported back some 45 years. It was like reliving yesterday, the revelation of the difference between LOOKING and SEEING.  It was all coming back to me....

I had accepted a new job in Greensboro North Carolina on April 1, 1968, just three days before Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Almost immediately after I arrived in town, and in the wake of the senseless murder, there was tension, a feeling of fear and instability in the town that had previously been the site of “sit-ins” a few years earlier,  a series of nonviolent protests which led to the Woolworth's department store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States

 We bought a home and settled in Pleasant Garden,  a very small town south of Greensboro. At the end of summer we were trying to get our young son registered in a preschool kindergarten program. The local school was filled but there was an opening at another school, the Rena Bullock School, a short distance away. We jumped at the chance and signed Kevin up to attend. A few weeks into the school year we set out for the PTA meeting on a lovely Tuesday evening. 

The Meeting. There was a palpable hush as we entered the large auditorium at Rena Bullock School. Apparently we were among the last to arrive, everyone else was seated awaiting the beginning of the meeting. The hush was undoubtedly brought on by the appearance of my wife and myself at the door. Our presence there was undoubtedly unexpected, and certainly a surprise, an incredible surprise to those already seated as we entered the auditorium and were seated. 

You see, Rena Bullock School was an all black school, our son was the only white student and we were the only white couple in the building. All heads turned towards the door in the rear of the auditorium and hundreds of shocked faces and wide eyes returned our gaze. 

I must say that my eyes were opened wide at that moment too, literally and figuratively. For the very first time in my life perhaps, I had this sinking feeling in my stomach and heart, the sudden realization… the feeling that prompted thoughts reaching back over the years as I began to see and feel how many black citizens and members of other minorities must have felt in the past when they walked into the room filled with people of another race.  My wife and I had known that the school was all black but didn't calculate the stir it would cause among others.

LOOKING. My mind raced to try to get my thoughts around this feeling of being an outsider. But more importantly,  How could I not have known, how could we all not have known nor empathized with what it feels like to be a minority, to be tempted to feel out of place, to feel so alone in the midst of a crowd. The Golden Rule flashed through my thought, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

SEEING. That single moment changed me forever and I will always be grateful for it, even though it was rather a shock to my system at the time. 

I must point out that after the initial shocked reaction and when the formal meeting was over,  we were so warmly welcomed with kindness and courtesy. Loving glances, warm handshakes and laughter topped off our visit as we met with the teachers, the school staff and other parents. We were cordially accepted as “fellow parents” and friends by these lovely individuals. The dear people at this meeting were certainly upholding that Golden Rule  Standard, but had I always been so diligent?

How many times had I been cold or insensitive, not appreciating how others felt in similar circumstances? 

That initial feeling I had as we entered the auditorium has stayed with me to this day and has resulted in my ongoing attempts to look past what my eyes see on the surface and to look deeper into reality, to see beyond prejudices, to go farther than the worldly view that is constantly put before our eyes. Talk abut a tough lifetime assignment!!!

I began to be aware of other instances of where a deeper, kinder  

look may bring out a better understanding, more compassion, more affinity with my fellowman. This included a different view of the old woman down the street, looking lonely, sitting and rocking slowly on her front porch… an empty rocking chair next to her.

The middle aged man with ragged clothes, long straggly hair and unkempt beard walking along Highway 5 towards Blue Ridge, seemingly without a destination. 

The single mother with several children shopping carefully and frugally at the grocery, searching in her purse for enough to pay the bill. 

I began to ask myself, 'Am I content with seeing and experiencing only the outward sense of things… perhaps seeing and then forgetting the struggles so many people face every day. Am I going to settle for only what the eyes see and the ears hear?'   Or can I pray for a clearer view of Creation, one so perfectly demonstrated by the Master Christian?

In reading and studying the deep lessons that the Bible reveals, I saw that a more spiritual view of life brings new insights, new views and healing. Is it really possible for us to actually emulate the strength and healing presence that Jesus and his disciples demonstrated as they made their way through the cities and villages, uplifting and healing the lives of the people in those times?  Can we really make a difference by seeing the spiritual view of life?

Mary Baker Eddy, in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, points out how Jesus used SEEING instead of LOOKING, when she wrote: “Jesus of Nazareth was the most scientific man that ever trod the globe. He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause.” *1

I began to understand that by SEEING spiritually, instead of just LOOKING materially, SEEING God’s image and likeness in each individual, SEEING through the false picture to find the real person reflecting the underlying Love, Intelligence, Hope, Patience, Trust, Faith…Spiritual qualities inherent in each of us, where on the surface there appears want and woe, hopelessness, suffering, blindness, pain, fear, lameness, even death, Jesus taught us to uplift the situation. That's how he healed!!!

There are MANY examples in the Bible of this power but one that provides continuing inspiration for me includes a scene where a  large group, numbering in the thousands had

gathered to hear Jesus talk. The only food available was five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Jesus, seeing the need to feed the group materially as well as spiritually, LOOKING at the meager supply of food, but SEEING that God is the source of infinite supply, that God meets our every need, that spiritual nourishment is all that we really require, fed and satisfied the crowd and with fish and bread left over. *2


Our next step? How do we start?  Why not emulate those wonderful folks at the Rena Bullock School in Pleasant Garden N.C. years ago. Simple Love and acceptance!

We can view and embrace the entire world in a spirit of LOVE, embracing everyone we meet with kindness,  provide bushels of loving smiles, warm handshakes and laughter.

And we can cherish a sense of God’s love for each and every one of His precious ideas, remembering ... “whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”*3

That’s a Golden Start!

*1  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - Mary Baker Eddy (313:24)

*2  Matthew 14:7

*3  Matthew 7:12

For those who have inquired about the book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, referenced in some of my articles, here’s the information. This book is used in Bible study by students of Christian Science and people of many different faiths.

It explains the scientific laws behind the teachings and healings of Christ Jesus. From the first chapter, “Prayer,” to her exegeses of Genesis and Revelation, the author invites readers to deeply consider the allness of God, the perfection of man as God's spiritual creation, and how an understanding of these facts brings healing—just as it did in biblical times. For over 135 years, readers have testified that reading and studying this book has given them a spiritual sense of the Bible and their permanent relationship to God, and has also resulted in physical healing and spiritual uplift. For more information or to purchase this book, click here.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

You would love her right away if you met her. A beautiful lady, bright smile, kind eyes, beautiful hair, a soft gentle look embracing everyone in her warmth.

Her name is Carolyn and we have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and I love her dearly. 

She is a rather quiet lady, doesn’t talk or boast about her talents and you would never know that she plays the piano and organ. And… that she plays very well. She has worked as church organist in various churches over the years, has accompanied Music Society singing and instrumental groups, and has taught piano privately and in a major city school system. She started teaching piano lessons to younger children when she was about age 13. 

The main thing is that she doesn’t TALK about playing, she just plays.  What a wonderful attribute, humility!!!

I was having lunch with Carolyn some time ago and told her  that I had heard about a man who wanted to learn to play the piano. He bought an instruction book and studied it diligently. He said he had read that book five times but he was very disappointed since after all of that reading he still couldn't play the piano. I was trying to be funny but there was a point to be made!

Now this Carolyn, sharp cookie that she is, and not to be outdone, told me a BETTER story that has stayed with me and made me think. I hate when I have to think.

Her story involved a man who was searching for God. This man was truly on a mission, he went from country to country asking where he might find God. After a lengthy search which covered months and months and thousands of miles and many blind alleys he finally heard about a place where God was reported to have been seen. Excitement built as he prepared to go to that area and perhaps reach his goal! 

He ended up at the base of a very high mountain and began an arduous climb, scrambling over rocks and scaling vertical walls. The climb became more difficult the higher he went. Finally as he neared the peak he saw a small cabin up along a small path. He approached cautiously and as he drew near he saw a sign on the door that said simply, GOD. He crept up to the door opened it quietly, looked in and saw God sitting in a chair by the fireplace.  God saw him peeking in and said quietly, "Come in and let's talk,  let's get to know each other." 

But instead, the man without a word or backward glance quickly closed the door and retreated, retracing his steps back down the mountain and hurrying to his home thousands of miles away. He spent the rest of his life telling people that he had found God.

The story for me is reminder of the importance of getting to know God instead of just talking about Him,  to humbly listen to God’s message, to feel His/Her warmth and love, accept the inspiration to be a faithful servant, as was Jesus.  How much the man missed out on when instead of going in to sit at God's feet to listen quietly, to learn more about Life as Spirit,  he ran off to tell others.   Perhaps he was looking for “atta boys” and honors for his discovery, rather than gaining that profound understanding which patient waiting, listening, feeling and experiencing God’s presence could have brought to him.

Now we know that God isn't really a person sitting in a mountain cabin!!  Not a  "person" at all, but the Divine Mind, the conscious intelligence that created ALL, spiritually.  We are not just mortal creatures, living in matter, but actually reflections of that Mind which is God.  When we are calm and quiet, we can feel those spiritual intuitions, guiding us, leading us, reassuring us.   The Apostle, Paul, encouraged us to: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:...  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. *

Like Carolyn, one who doesn’t talk about the piano, but practices, and practices,  and demonstrates her understanding of music through playing, how important it is for us to practice and practice listening to God’s gentle voice, to demonstrate to the best of our ability, on a daily basis, His direction and guidance, to prepare for those moments when we can share and demonstrate that “we have found God”, through uplifting, healing and tenderly caring for others who need our help. It requires practice, not just reading the books five times like the unsuccessful piano student!!!  

In times of distress or pain, as we just experienced with the bombings in Boston and the horrible plant explosion in West, Texas, we need to go way beyond just saying “you are in our prayers,” or “our hearts go out to you” and then going about our daily routines. We can offer so much more by going into the closet of prayer, as Jesus also demonstrated, shutting out the material senses and listening for the thoughts that bring the sense of peace and love that is required to bring healing to the world.   God is already there, waiting for us to come in and listen, and in  the silence of that closet we can KNOW that God is comforting, uplifting, providing healing thoughts and giving new insights into the eternality of Life to those whose hearts are broken.  THAT is practicing!!!

Jesus faced every threatening situation with prayer and a firm understanding that God can deliver us from the "evil one".  And he counseled each of his followers to do likewise.  He said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." **     And THAT too is practicing!

Religious leader Mary Baker Eddy said it so well in her writings. On the importance of Practice she said:

Christians rejoice in secret beauty and bounty, hidden from the world, but known to God. Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessings. ***

The best sermon ever preached is Truth practised and demonstrated by the destruction of sin, sickness, and death. ****

Oh,  I almost forgot. That lady... Carolyn, the piano player, she is my wonderful Sister and I love her. 

*      The Bible   Phillipians 2
**    The Bible   John 14:12
***  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy   page 15:25  **** 201:1

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

For those who have inquired about the book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, referenced in some of my articles, here’s the information. This book is used in Bible study by students of Christian Science and people of many different faiths.

It explains the scientific laws behind the teachings and healings of Christ Jesus. From the first chapter, “Prayer,” to her exegeses of Genesis and Revelation, the author invites readers to deeply consider the allness of God, the perfection of man as God's spiritual creation, and how an understanding of these facts brings healing—just as it did in biblical times. For over 135 years, readers have testified that reading and studying this book has given them a spiritual sense of the Bible and their permanent relationship to God, and has also resulted in physical healing and spiritual uplift. For more information or to purchase this book, click here.