One morning the neighbor’s chickens came into my yard (AGAIN!!!) and were digging up my garden. I had just HAD IT! I was angry, disappointed, sad, frustrated at myself for letting it get to me, and at my wits end about what to do about those chickens. My thought was not clear or uplifted. I needed help fast and called a friend who is also a Christian Science practitioner for Christian Science treatment for me.
I told my friend about the chickens and she so gently reminded me that it wasn’t the chickens that were the problem – the fact that they seemed to be a problem was the manifestation of other things in my thought. I interrupted her and just spilled out the “other things” that I thought were the problem. I felt like a drowning victim who, though I had a great life vest (the truth taught by Christ Jesus), was stuck underwater by a pile of debris. The debris in this case was the belief that I was simply a mortal being with lots of struggles on many fronts at the moment.
Then my friend reminded me of the Bible passage that says “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” (see Psalm 91:10). She said that nothing could invade my my consciousness, my dwelling or house (see Science and Health 578:17). I realized instantly that my abode, my house, was really divine and that there was nothing that could exist to make it less than wholly harmonious.
I felt like all that mental deadwood had been instantly lifted off and my life vest (an understanding of Christ, Truth) bounced me to the top of the surface of a “smooth and unobstructed” spiritual river (see Science and Health 593). I felt loved, protected, calm, and uplifted.
The chickens were still there, but they didn’t bother me any more. They just walked back to their home and the many other problems that I thought I was facing melted quickly. I went about all of my daily duties with great joy and freedom!
A few weeks later, without me ever saying anything to them, my neighbor found a new home for the chickens and the chickens moved to a more appropriate place.