And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to-day; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14)
This is a great prayer that I think about a lot daily. Although it was written hundreds of years ago, it is applicable to our lives today. It commands us not to be afraid, to be still, and witness the goodness of God. This prayer of protection was evidenced in my life recently when I was herding some cattle. We treat the cattle with kindness and gentleness and they reciprocate. However, on this particular day, one of the bulls would not go into the paddock and became quite active—leaping and running all over the pasture. Some neighbors were helping me with the herding. I went to cut off the pass to the front field. As I turned I saw the bull heading straight for me at full speed. I have worked with cattle many years. Sometimes you just need to get out of their way. Two thoughts came to me: to stand still and “I can’t go down, I have work to do!” The bull heading for me ran right by, passing within inches of me. The situation was resolved harmoniously with no one getting hurt. I am grateful for many opportunities each day to witness God’s infinite goodness and love.
The topic for a recent testimony meeting was: "The preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:1)
In the meeting a testifier read a selection called "Balancing God's Qualities" from The Woman's Book of Soul by Sue Patton Thoele. This statement says that a full expression of God cannot be just male, but must express both male and female qualities. These ideas are similar to those of Mary Baker Eddy, who spoke of God as our Father-Mother.
I thought about how Jesus expressed the feminine qualities of compassion, cooperation, patience, nurturing, etc., while not lacking any male qualities or masculine authority.
I was also reminded of a recent discussion I had with two ladies from France, who felt Mary Baker Eddy was the model for accomplishing all that a man would have done in her time, while remaining fully feminine and expressing motherly qualities. She did not have to act like a man. Eddy chose to stay with emancipating both men and women from mental bondage rather than taking active part in the women's suffrage movement. Susan B. Anthony, one of the leaders of that movement, was a student of Eddy.
The English word 'heart' is translated as 'Mind' in Japanese. Mind, a synonym for God, is the highest source of intelligence and 'heart'. Thus, in Japanese, 'heart' (kokoro) expresses a perfect balance of the male and female qualities of God.
fujiko, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, United States