How Spiritual Practice Makes Something Like Perfect

As I always do on Sunday, I take notes during the featured talk, but I found myself instead trying to answer the question Michael asked when he took the stage, based on the song just performed.

What makes up the best day of your life... today?

... so I missed a couple of the Martin Luther King quotes, which, because I find them so relevant and necessary for the times we're living in, sent me to YouTube to listen again.

Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it's a permanent attitude.

There's more to it (...everyone can be great, because everybody can serve; you only need a heartful of grace, a soul generated by love), but that fragment stands out.

Coupled with MLK's other quotes, in particular, his famous, "hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that," how do we stay in a state of forgiveness even when it feels like the world's gone crazy? How can forgiveness be part of what makes up the best day of your life, every single day? It may just be the only way through.

Practice Makes... Almost Perfect

Science of Mind sits at the intersection of spirituality, psychology, philosophy, and increasingly, neuroscience. It teaches that we live in a unified field of intelligence and love, an impersonal, neutral, infinitely creative force that always responds. We are not separate from it. We are individualized expressions of it.

So, what happens when we actually practice the philosophy we say we believe?

If the universe always says "yes" and we're focused on what doesn't serve us, where does that take us? As Rev. Michael pointed out, here's the good news/bad news: it works whether we’re conscious of it or not.

Conscious Thought vs. Unconscious Belief

Much of what shapes our lived experience lies below the surface: beliefs absorbed early, often unconsciously. Ideas about God, worthiness, love, scarcity, shame.

Many of these aren’t chosen; they were inherited, modeled, or absorbed when we were too young to question them. And, if we don’t uncover them, they continue to quietly shape us, even if it’s exactly what we don’t want.

Ernest Holmes didn’t just give us a philosophy; he showed us new ways to use old tools - practices to make life more perfect, the more we use them. Practices like meditation, mindfulness, gratitude, journaling, and Spiritual Mind Treatment help us uncover unconscious patterns, or help us notice fear sooner, so we can make different, conscious choices.

That’s why practice matters, and Rev. Michael encouraged us to give these, or at least one of them, a try this week if we don’t already do them.

In a world that feels increasingly reactive — louder, more divided, more fearful — this matters. Forgiveness matters. We watch fear feed fear on a global scale. And while we may not control outcomes, we participate in consciousness. Love is not passive. Forgiveness is not weakness. Kindness is not naïve.

Practice is how love - and forgiveness - gain traction. And when love gains traction, things change for our highest and best good.

Getting What We Want

There’s also a tenderness here, especially toward ourselves. We aren’t asked to bypass pain or pretend we don’t struggle. We’re asked to notice, do the work, and remember who we are beneath the programming. As Rev. Michael said, to welcome what we say we want with an open heart, then let it go, trusting that the creative law is already at work. (This is the true meaning of the law of attraction.)

Back to the song, then: So, what does the best day of your life look like - today? What do you expect, what are you allowing, and what do you think is possible? These are questions to continually return to.

One of the lyrics, “I feel my demons misleading me,” could just as easily point to beliefs we've outgrown, stories that once kept us safe, but now ask to be released. Letting them go is, in a sense, practicing forgiveness toward ourselves.

With Monday graciously still a day we honor Dr. King, let's continue to practice our core beliefs and principles. Not occasionally, but daily as a way of being. And let's honor Dr. King, and ourselves, by including forgiveness.

Because forgiveness practiced daily (sometimes moment by moment) just might be what makes our best days possible, every day.

Senior Minister Search Kicks Off 

Also on Sunday, I reiterated an announcement I made at our Community Meeting last week that some in the audience may not have yet heard – that Rev. Pam was selected, and agreed, to lead our Senior Minister Search process. She’s now taking applications from those interested in serving on the committee. Be sure to get yours to Rev. Pam if you’re interested, or reach out to her with questions.

With gratitude, always,

Laura