The Science of Christianity has revealed to the world that, as soon as someone becomes open and receptive to God in his or her thinking, the power of God operates in consciousness, clearing his or her mental atmosphere of the fears that give rise to illness, lack, sin, and inability. “This practical Christian Science,” explains Mary Baker Eddy, “is the divine Mind, the incorporeal Truth and Love, shining through the mists of materiality and melting away the shadows called sin, disease, and death” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 205).
These “mists of materiality” might be identified as the stumbling blocks behind what often impedes us, scares us, and causes suffering. Jesus warned about being overloaded with the cares of this life (see Luke 21:34). They are fundamentally an entrancement with materiality—and the promises of materiality are always fraudulent. For instance, someone who’s entranced with money may, no matter how much of it he or she accumulates, always feel lacking. Or, when someone obsessively searches for beauty in a material body, he or she may incessantly feel ugly. Other times, an obscuring mist may take the form of a craving for approval from people—an entrancement that is associated with inadequacy and a lack of self-worth.
In various areas of the world, there are times when, because of windless conditions and very high humidity, clouds, rather than floating high in the air, can form and settle right against the ground, often in a valley. That kind of fog can be so dense that visibility may be less than a hundred feet. Maybe you’ve seen that kind of thing before. If you happened to be in a car, you probably had to slow down to a crawl.
