Men are always desiring to be victorious. Whatever the obstacle or difficulty presented, there is in every heart a wish that victory may be won. Ordinarily, however, men are not awake to the steps necessary to such triumph. They do not always recognize that only through self-sacrifice can they ever really gain right victories. The very word "victory" means overcoming, and overcoming implies the putting underfoot of all that opposes. This means effort, and humanity seems slow to believe that it desires to earn its triumphs. Sometimes it would appear that men even prefer to fail rather than to engage in the necessary struggle to be victorious.
It is also easily seen that there are victories—so called—which, while on the surface they may appear to be triumphs, are only defeats. Students do not go far in their endeavor to demonstrate Christian Science before they discover that, as Mrs. Eddy says in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 278), "Victory in error is defeat in Truth." Milton wrote, "Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe;" and the Christian Scientist is indeed wise who quickly sees that whenever he seems to triumph through self-will or human methods, he has but allowed himself to roll down a hill up which he must some day much more laboriously climb.
Often deep experiences seem needed to teach one that there is no possible satisfaction either in idleness or in working in a wrong direction; but let the Christian Scientist once fully understand that the demands of Truth and Love must be met, and if he is wise enough to turn squarely about and keep his face persistently towards the real goal of continued right endeavor, he will soon begin to prove that victory does crown true effort.
