There is a thought-provoking passage in the Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy, that says, “If you launch your bark upon the ever-agitated but healthful waters of truth, you will encounter storms. Your good will be evil spoken of. This is the cross. Take it up and bear it, for through it you win and wear the crown” (p. 254).
It’s easy to be peaceful on a beautiful sunny day, but what about during a storm? What if you’re in the storm in an open sailboat? Would you still feel at peace and worry-free?
The Way-shower, Christ Jesus, did. A brief, powerful story in the Gospel of Mark reports, “There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:37-39).
The truth that Jesus demonstrated is described in this line from a poem written by Mrs. Eddy: “For storm or shine, pure peace is thine / Whate’er betide” (“Poems,” p. 79). Our peace isn’t determined by our circumstances. But our peace – our faith and trust in ever-present God, divine Love – does affect circumstances and can heal a discordant situation. This is because it’s not really our peace, in the sense that we don’t create it; we reflect the true peace that has its source in God. So no matter what troubles may appear, we can never really lose our peace, because we can never lose our spiritual oneness with our Father-Mother God.
This God-given peace is referred to in the Epistle to the Philippians, attributed to the Apostle Paul: “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (4:7).
In another poem, Mrs. Eddy writes, “I kiss the cross, and wake to know / A world more bright” (Poems, p. 12). A world more bright! What a wonderful promise that is. No darkness there – just light.
Many years ago, one of our kids would get really upset, randomly and unexpectedly, about anything and everything. (At least that’s how it seemed to me.) It was exhausting – for us both. It was tempting to think: What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I fix this? It was also very tempting to react, and I often did.
Sometimes, when we’re in a situation like this, it can feel as if we’re praying – or trying to – with steam coming out of our ears! But prayer isn’t about fixing bad situations; it’s about yielding to God’s power and peace. So that’s where I finally anchored my prayer – in yielding to God instead of trying to humanly micromanage an emotional outburst.
Then one day, this child had a major meltdown, and I reached out to God for help. That phrase from the poem just mentioned came to thought: “kiss the cross.” I thought, “Well, my child is cross! So I guess I’d better offer a kiss.” And I did. And a hug, too. No words, just love.
Certainly, this wasn’t a literal translation of the cross that Mrs. Eddy’s poem was referring to – the one Jesus bore – but it inspired my practical actions with our child as I prayed to know that God’s love was embracing both of us. The meltdown ended. And though that wasn’t the last time there was an outburst, for me, it was the beginning of the end – of reacting. What a blessing! The outbursts happened less and less frequently and finally stopped completely.
We can live every moment of our lives as a blessing, bearing witness more and more to the harmony that comes from God. It’s not always easy. But it’s worth the effort. Then we truly can live in peace.
Adapted from an article published in the Nov. 10, 2025, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
