Standpoint, standpoint, standpoint

A dark, plodding outlook can be a waste of a good day. No good can come of it. Sometimes I need a mental nudge to move to a spiritual standpoint. If I’m not there, I have to find a way to get there, because I know that where I stand mentally impacts the quality of life and of health. So, I’d better get going.

The San Luis Obispo area, where I live in California, has this unique geographical feature of seven morros—volcanic mountains—marching in a row through the town and into the Pacific Ocean at Morro Bay. One of our favorites to climb is Bishop’s Peak, right on the edge of town. From the street you see the mountain looming above. The path up is strenuous, but as you climb, you get a much different view. Halfway up, where the meadows break and the trees and big rocks take over, is a lovely little oak grove providing a shady place to sit, catch your breath, and enjoy a little picnic (if you’ve been so clever as to bring one).

But keep on climbing, and as you get to the top, you get a far broader perspective. You see the outcome of geologic forces in the other morros stretching out in front of you, and when you see the Pacific Ocean in the distance, you begin to remember your lessons on plate tectonics. On a really clear day, you can see the curvature of the earth. The higher you go, the more you see.

And so it is with one’s spiritual standpoint. The higher we go in thought—in consciousness—the more we get to experience of Truth, what it means for each one of us, and how it can impact life for good, in ways we may not even have imagined. Mary Baker Eddy puts it this way: “To divest thought of false trusts and material evidences in order that the spiritual facts of being may appear,—this is the great attainment by means of which we shall sweep away the false and give place to the true” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 428). Two little words in the margin of that statement help me understand this concept of paving the way for spiritual facts to appear: Vision opening.

It makes sense, doesn’t it, that as we rise in thought, we get to realize the possibilities of a life aligned with Truth, God. We are then no longer locked into a matter-based view of things—and the complications, difficulties, and heartbreak that this brings. Our vision of life is opening to divine possibilities.

While we may sometimes struggle to uphold the spiritual standpoint to the degree Jesus did, any effort to gain it and regain it brings great rewards.

I’m thinking of a time when one of our sons was having a hard time in grade school. He was troubled, and it was coming out in a number of negative ways—even in some minor violence toward other students. The head teacher called us in for a serious meeting. She said that with any other student, they would call in the school psychiatrist, but knowing we were Christian Scientists and handled things differently, she wanted to give us a chance to do it our way. We had two weeks, and then the school would need to handle things their way.

We got the message—and called a Christian Science practitioner to help us through prayer. He shared his perspective, which was along these lines: Whenever our child came to thought—or into our view—we were to see him as God sees him.

Easy, right? Not for us. We struggled, as our habits of thought usually began, “Here comes our troubled kid … .” We needed to shift to see what God sees—from the standpoint of what was already spiritually true about our son. “Here is God’s beautiful boy, so full of love and fun and wonderful possibilities for good.” We worked at this moment to moment, and stuck with it until it became totally natural to us. As moments turned into days, we were more and more able to “see” and appreciate this terrific child, who was expressing the qualities given to him by God—energy, gentleness, joy, kindness.

From a purely material standpoint, my husband and I would have needed to try to improve our son’s behavior; whereas, understanding the basic truth about God and man allowed us to embrace him from an entirely spiritual standpoint. As we mentally planted ourselves there—the view from the top—we were able to acknowledge, more and more, what was already true. 

The problems at school began to dissolve. The teacher acknowledged the turnaround, and the school did not have to intercede. Today our son is appreciated in his international business community for his integrity and problem-solving ability, and at home as a loving husband and dad to his growing family. 

I find it so instructive that when I focused on my child’s “problem” and the difficulties in addressing them (along with the fear that these negative tendencies would follow him into adulthood), I was distracted by depression and worry. It was only when I began to move to a spiritual standpoint—and stay there—that progress and healing came.

We knew we weren’t changing our son’s identity. We were discovering it. In a measure, we were following the example of Jesus, who saw spiritual truth at every turn. He actually lived the spiritual standpoint. He walked those dusty roads and healed what looked like unsolvable problems. Mary Baker Eddy puts it this way: “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God’s own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick” (Science and Health, pp. 476–477). 

While we may sometimes feel as if we are struggling to uphold the spiritual standpoint to the degree Jesus did, any effort to gain it and regain it brings great rewards. Instead of thinking of ourselves and others as struggling mortals, always reaching out for help—any help—we can make the mental move to a safer, surer place. We can know with surety that we are at the expansive standpoint of understanding and progress. Rather like sitting on top of Bishop’s Peak.

A realtor, when determining the worth of a house, says, “Location, location, location.” The Christian Scientist, knowing how best to go forward with a spiritually productive life, can say—with total conviction—“Standpoint, standpoint, standpoint.”