Exercising Faith in Difficult Times by Rev. Christine Emmerling D.D. 12/7/2025

Today’s talk is about Exercising Faith in Difficult Times. There are many kinds of challenges we may experience. These may be a personal life tragedy as in a loss of loved ones, terminal disease, or life altering injury. Then there are traumas as in a break-up of a long relationship, loss of a job, or our home and possessions. We all at times have been challenged living through difficult times.

All these and many more can bring about depression or worse. For some people these kinds of experiences may stop them in their tracks, and are unable to move forward in life - to move past the trauma and drama.

We all will experience some kind of disaster, trauma, or tragedy at some point in our life. I remember hearing, “God never gives you more than what you can handle” and “What doesn’t break you, will make you stronger.” Believe me at times I really questioned these sayings. And they’re meant to make us feel better.

Its all in how we deal with a crisis when it comes. Having faith can get us through anything. Its amazing how people rebound after having lost so much. They learn what is really important in life. We’ve seen humanity’s compassion come forth in helping others through their loss. There is always a greater good to come forth. Not sure what this good is going to look like, but I trust and have faith it will show itself when I look for it.

Having a spiritual practice is so helpful in building those faith muscles. Divine Science and New Thought teachings gives tools to help us through those tough times, and for an enriched purposeful life. I have heard over and over again while attending the International New Thought Alliance “It works if you work it!” That is so true. These teachings aren’t just to be read and studied, they are to be lived. It’s a way of life, a way to a better life.

Back in the summer of 1967, my mother invited my sister Naomi and I to attend an Infinite Way retreat led by Virginia Stephenson. This was several days of lectures and meditation. This way of thinking was still pretty new to me. I remember sitting being like a sponge absorbing the words being spoken, and trusting that Spirit would know what to do with it all. One of the affirmations I learned and practiced was “You can make mountains out of mole hills or mole hills out of mountains.” I repeated this over and over.

My sister and I would catch each other complaining about something, and then would say “Your making a mountain out of a mole hill.” Then the response would be “I’m now making a mole hill out of this mountain.” While saying it, I envisioned the mountain shrinking to a small mole hill. It was powerful - things would change as soon as the attitude changed from poor me to knowing I had the power within me to change the outcome by changing my perception.

In the Bible we’re given some examples of how to spiritually prepare our ourselves. In Matt. 25:1-13, Jesus the Christ told the story of the 10 virgins, 5 of which were wise, and the other 5 foolish. The 10 virgins were to be prepared and ready to light their lanterns for when the Bride Groom came. Five were prepared, while the other five virgins fooled around, and then when it was time they didn’t have oil for their lamps. They went to borrow oil from the prepared virgins, but they refused to give any as they wouldn’t have enough for themselves. So the 5 foolish virgins missed the groom.

The message here is about being spiritually prepared. The 5 foolish virgins represent the 5 outer senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. The 5 wise virgins represent the senses of our spiritual nature as in having faith and extraordinary perception of intuition through sight, hearing and feeling. The outer senses focused on the worldly things have no oil of faith to ignite the inner light that will show us the way.

Due to the foolish virgins having not done their spiritual preparation, they were in darkness and had no light of their own. We cannot get our spiritual light or oil from another person. We need to be prepared through our own spiritual practices; to daily pray, meditate, study, and then practice what we have learned. Then when crisis calls we are filled with our inner light to show us the way through it. Our faith lights the way.

In Luke 8:22-24, Jesus and the disciples were crossing the lake. While they were rowing Jesus fell asleep. There arose a fierce storm on the lake; and the boat was near sinking. The disciples called out, Our Teacher, our Teacher, we are perishing. When Jesus woke up he rebuked the winds and the crashing waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?”

Symbolically the ship represents our soul’s consciousness, and the disciples represent our inner power centers that have shut down and lie dormant. Thus there is no connection to our inner Christ or Teacher within. When we are unaware of our inner powers, and our focus is on the worldly appearances, then we become fearful believing these appearances have the power to do harm to us.

The lake, as a body of water represents the subconscious mind that is filled with all kinds of beliefs. The windy storm represents a collection of negative thoughts that have been stirred up from the sea of the subconscious mind. Negative thoughts release fearful emotions that may overwhelm us as in a storm of emotion.

We remind our self that the Christ power is within us. We then take a moment to go within and connect or awaken that truth. Now we are ready to deny the power in any worldly appearance, and affirm that which is true of the situation. The Truth is revealed, and all the fearful emotions dissolve into the nothingness from which they came. All is once again calm.

The other Jesus stormy sea story is in John 6:15-21, this story is also in Matt 14:22-26, Mark 6:45-56: “After having fed the multitudes, Jesus departed to the mountain alone. And when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea and entered into a ship, and were going to the port of Capernaum. And now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

The sea became rough, because a strong wind was blowing. And they rowed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, and they saw Jesus walking on the sea; and as he drew toward their ship, they became afraid. Jesus said to them, It is I, do not be afraid. They received him into the ship, and they immediately landed at their destination.”

After a day of listening to Christ Jesus, and witnessing the miracle of feeding the multitudes the disciples had been on the mountain. Being on a mountain meaning in Christ consciousness, an elevated state of spiritual consciousness. The disciples once again find themselves in a storm at sea. Crossing over water is always about a change in consciousness.

Their faith again wavers, and negative thoughts overwhelm them. We are reminded, even in the midst of a storm the I Am is here. The I Am that I Am is here even when I temporarily forget, and don’t see the evidence of it.

Ask and we shall receive the inner awareness and guidance to know the Christ within. Then with faith we can say from Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

Jesus appears walking on water means Christ consciousness is above the condition of fearful thoughts. When Christ steps onto the ship, all fearful appearances vanish. The ship represents are soul and our soul awakens to the Christ within. Capernaum, means compassion. It also means the cleansing of the mind, both conscious and subconscious. The soul cleansed of its negative and limiting beliefs receives a new understanding of service through having compassion.

It was in the 1980s when my parents, uncle and aunt and I attended an Infinite Way retreat led by Herbert Fitch. I rode with my parents and my uncle borrowed my car. We were on our way home after several days of lectures and meditation. While driving over the summit on highway 17 another car’s wheel came off, and it bounced across the road and ripped through the hood of the car my uncle was driving. It was such a blessing no one got hurt.

The question came, why after having such a wonderful experience, being in such a high state of spiritual consciousness did this happen? After reflecting on this, I came to understand that we still were vibrating to a higher frequency of consciousness, and had not fully integrated. We hadn’t prepared ourselves for the vibration of our home environment. As we got closer to the city, we met its energy head on so to speak.

Some call this spiritual indigestion when we learn and learn, and have not taken time to practice and integrate. We get experiences to put the spiritual teachings into practice. Also to remember to be grounded and present in the here and now.

Albert Einstein said “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Another way of saying to meditate, climb the mountain of consciousness for the answers. Then to pray and exercise the faith as to walk on water. Be fearless and put our spiritual understanding to the test. Make the stormy sea calm or whatever the condition is to be transformed and realized.

The following is by H.B. Jeffrey titled Steadfastly Facing Thee; I have taken the liberty to add “All is good” at the end of each statement:

Steadfastly facing Thee, I see no evil on my path. All is good.

Steadfastly facing Thee, I see no matter with its laws of mind. All is good.

Steadfastly facing Thee, I see no loss, no lack, no absence, no want, no longing, no disappointment, no pain. All is good.

Steadfastly facing Thee, I see nothing to fear, for there is no power to hurt. All is good.

Steadfastly facing Thee, I see neither sin nor sickness nor death. All is good.

Because Thou art Unconditional and Absolute, I also am unconditioned and absolute. All is good. Amen!

Practice, practice, practice steadfastly speaking truth until we know without a doubt the Christ within is the hope and glory. There is the saying, “I already possess it - I need only to express it.” Express our love, our light and truth into the world, and watch our faith unfold something wonderful.

And so it is!