It's funny how things suddenly come to mind, out of the blue,
mostly in my case, glimpses of the past.
Many times we are suddenly reminded of childhood experiences, workplace
situations or memories of wonderful family memories. It seems we are somehow able to put mainly
hurtful, painful experiences behind us
and recall fondly the good times.
Last week it was my Mr. Peanut memory that came to
thought..
There were, in the 1940s, exciting daytime radio shows for
younger people. Captain Midnight, Superman. Roy Rogers and others were
broadcast in the afternoon hours after we returned home from school. We were glued to the radio in the living
room, awaiting each new episode and of course we were always tempted by the trinkets
and gifts promised by the sponsors, all crafted to entice young listeners. Young kids are great targets for
advertisers!!!
As I recall it was from
one of these programs that I ordered this special gift, a genuine “glow in the
dark” replica of Mr. Peanut, the advertising symbol of Planters Peanuts.
Oh the way they described it… Colorful, Authentic… Unbreakable they said; it glows in the dark,
they promised!! Be the first in your
neighborhood to have this wonderful Mr. Peanut, they suggested. Impress your friends, they touted!
I waited eagerly for this trinket to arrive, watching hopefully
for the mail carrier to come down the street; maybe TODAY would be the day it
arrived.
And eventually the day came!!!
And, true to my expectations,
Mr. Peanut gave me much joy. I
was consumed with wonder about how he could possibly glow in the dark. Science hadn’t made that much progress back
when I was small and “glow in the dark” was a strange concept!! In order to see the little guy glow, I would
go into the tiny closet under the stairway in our small house, close the
door and spend long periods standing in
the dark just looking at the glowing figurine.
I soon discovered that my mother was a little worried about a
son that would go into the closet for long periods of time just to look at a
plastic peanut. I took quite a teasing
from my family, even from my dear
Mother, about being Closet Peanut Man, and hiding in the dark. , I guess that concern
was understandable!!
As I look back on that time I can see how childlike innocence
made the whole world a fantastic and interesting place. Maybe it was because I learned that in that
dark closet I was able to shut out the outside
world, drop all distractions and let my mind listen, dream and permit my
imagination to soar, see things I couldn't see outside. When I was not in the
closet, Mr. Peanut just looked like another
piece of white plastic.
As an adult I can now see that being in the
closet helped me close off the distractions of the “outside world”. There was no light, nothing to pull my
thought away. I could totally
concentrate on “my little glowing man” and marvel how it could glow in the
dark.
Imagine my surprise years later when I was introduced to
Christian Science as a way of living, and began to study the Bible and Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and found out that centuries ago Jesus of
Nazareth even RECOMMENDED going into the closet!!! (Take that all of you teasers who made fun
of me for being a little weird!!!)
Apparently Jesus knew that the “outside world” can be a noisy,
hectic place. There are wars, rumors of
wars, jealously, hatred, selfishness, cruelty.
On his daily walks he encountered those who were blind, deaf, suffering
from illness, crippling disabilities, hunger and sin and disease.
He, himself, was not wealthy in worldly terms and traveled
the area on foot. BUT, he was rich in
wisdom and understanding. He knew the
power of quiet communion with God, the Divine Mind, that guided and uplifted him.
He knew how to pray and that being closeted
in a quiet environment helps us to listen more closely to God’s direction.
He said: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and
when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;
and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6
He knew that even if the storm may roar and the problems of
the world seemed overwhelming, peace and joy can be achieved through quiet communication with God in the “closet” of
thought.
He also promised: “These things I have spoken
unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Now we may not always be able to actually be in a real closet
like the one in my old house on Jefferson Avenue when I was a child, but we
can enter the quiet “mental closet” of our own thought. We can be in THAT closet anywhere… in the car in traffic, in the midst a crowd,
at the office, at school, really anyplace
where we can shut out the noise of materiality and listen for a moment.
In the Holy Bible, that treasure trove of “Life Instruction”,
we find that even thousands of years ago God was leading our ancestors into
quiet closets to pray. In the Book of
Psalms we find wonderful reassurance:
1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I will say of
the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I
trust.
3. Surely he shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Psalms 91:1-3
I love to think of that “Secret
Place’ referenced above as the
closet of my thought!!! And the “refuge” in the next verses as the “closet of
refuge.”
1.
God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble.
2.
Therefore will not we fear,
though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea;
10. Be still, and know that
I am God: Psalms 46
To me, these verses are saying: Be Still… Be in the Closet. Listen in the Silence. We may not have a Mr. Peanut in there with us
but we will definitely feel a glow from God’s presence. We need only enter, listen and make sure the
door stays closed.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian
Science counsels in her book Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures:
“Stand porter at
the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in
bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously.” SH 392:24
Because the closet is our thought, we can exercise our
authority, shut the door and block out
unwanted entrance. We can keep erroneous thoughts out of closet by standing “porter”, or guard , at the
door.
Today, as the news media goes about their business of broadcasting
stories of threats of war, terrorism, murder, political strife, questionable ethics in government, poverty and man’s seeming inhumanity to fellow man, it is
good to keep our thoughts affixed on the Truth of God’s flawless kingdom.
Is that irresponsible?
Should we be knee deep in the world’s problems and personally dive head
first into the muck of human tragedy due to a false sense of responsibility? Or are we more helpful by praying to see and
hear God’s direction and feel His healing presence.
I love to think of what Jesus did when he
faced difficulties. He went up to the
mountain to a place apart… and prayed. He
certainly didn’t shy away from problems but he knew his best help was quiet
prayer.
Here is a quick recap of the quotes above from our mentors
from centuries back:
But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Thanks Mr. Peanut for showing me the importance of discovery
in the closet. Your gentle glow has helped me find the rewards of quiet
observation and prayer.
