A year is ending, another begins. We all make new resolutions, even commitments, for ourselves and our children. These are sometimes objectives to be achieved in order to lead a happier and more comfortable life. We move forward with these objectives that seem essential to our well-being, even when they may cause a lot of stress.
As children we see our student lives marked by going from one grade to the next, and by passing the final tests each year. Then we think of the future, aspiring toward an employment status that will allow us to settle into a social life, a family life, and then … and then … and then …. In short, we hurry with willfulness, ambition, and anxiety; we make a lot of efforts, but to go where?
In the Glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, the definition of time given by Mary Baker Eddy reads as follows: “Mortal measurements; limits, in which are summed up all human acts, thoughts, beliefs, opinions, knowledge; matter; error; that which begins before, and continues after, what is termed death, until the mortal disappears and spiritual perfection appears” (p. 595).
Each stage of life gives us the opportunity to see God manifested in our experience.
In light of the last part of this definition, time is a false concept that is not limited to the slice of life that we believe takes place between birth and death. This realization opens up our thought to see our need for a higher purpose than merely to live out a mortal conception of existence. As we fulfill our obligations at every stage of our life, it is much more rewarding to see the mortal sense of life increasingly disappear so that “spiritual perfection appears” more and more; and that should be our primary purpose in life.
“Earth’s preparatory school must be improved to the utmost,” Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science and Health, p. 486). I’d like to illustrate this statement with an experience.
Last year, my grandson had to study important academic lessons. But one subject seemed to give him a lot of trouble, so he had to work harder, study more conscientiously, with the help of his parents. As a result of this hard work, the test went so well that he got the top grade in the class! He was very happy and proud to tell me.
I congratulated him, of course, but then I said, “This top grade—that’s not what’s important.” He looked at me surprised. “What is important,” I said next, “are the qualities you possess and that you expressed in this instance, such as intelligence, an ability to remember important ideas, a taste for making an effort, a love for a job well done, perseverance, etc. You know that you possess all good qualities because you are the child of God, the reflection of the creator who is infinite intelligence.
“This experience will always be useful to you in your journey,” I continued. “If tomorrow, in the next six months, or in twenty years, you meet a challenge, you will remember that you need to put aside the beliefs in lack, inability, limitations, incompetence, because they all belong to a mortal being, and you are not that mortal. Rather, by acknowledging and stating that you are God’s child, you will be able to accept with joy that you possess all the necessary qualities to face the situation, and you will identify yourself with—you will wake up to—the spiritual perfection of your being.
“So what is important are all the spiritual qualities that constitute your true identity, and that you have expressed. Expressing those qualities is the real purpose of a successful life. Doesn’t Jesus teach us that we are the ‘light of the world’ (Matthew 5:14) and the ‘salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:13)?
“Then in all this, what does the top grade mean? Well, that’s just the cherry on the cake!” He laughed at the image of the cherry, but he understood well and accepted my point of view.
You see, each stage of life, each moment of the day, gives us the opportunity to see God manifested in our experience, through prayer and demonstration. We are greatly benefited by starting our day praying, and reading and studying the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. A right knowledge of God, good, and of the spiritual nature of our own being and of all being is essential so that the knowledge of what God is forever expressing in us will be revealed to us.
Time is not limited to the slice of life that we believe takes place between birth and death.
However, this kind of study must not shut us out from the world. Rather, this knowledge that we gain should turn us into valuable contributors toward making the world a better place. We have our being in God, and our role is to understand this, put it into practice, and live it. The tasks we perform are often necessary and important, but the inner attitude and spiritual understanding we adopt when performing them—that’s what’s most important. I don’t merely put up with what I have to do every day anymore, because now I do it for the glory of God and out of love for my neighbor, and so whatever I do becomes a joy.
I feel really alive each time I live, talk, act, from the standpoint of my unity with God, when I consciously live what I understand of my spiritual nature, which leads me to open up to others. “Love alone is Life” (Mary Baker Eddy, Poems, p. 7). Because God is Life and Love, He is perfect good, and whenever we silence the mortal sense of life, we see God and His expression more clearly manifested in our days.
Thus, we can love every moment of our life, whether we are in school, at work, shopping, or taking a walk, without worrying that our life is measured and judged with the passage of time. To live truly is to see the spiritual nature of life and thereby rejoice in anything we are required to do, doing it the best we can and striving to express divine perfection.
When we maintain this state of consciousness, the shadows and challenges related to years that seem to accumulate disappear, because we live increasingly in communion with God, and we are full of gratitude for His presence that becomes tangible. We bring spiritual sense to our lives, to our days, to all of our actions. The mortal increasingly disappears, and spiritual perfection is increasingly demonstrated. Isn’t this a good use of our time?
And what of health, abundance, success, peace, love, joy? you may ask. Well, that’s much more than a cherry on a cake! These are the wonderful blessings resulting from understanding that life is spiritual and eternal—and living this life by demonstrating it.
