IT is well to observe the aim and purpose of mankind in general, to note the goal for which humanity seems to be striving, and then to consider how we may proceed to attain the definite goal of harmony through the better understanding of God. Each one has some objective, however indefinite it may appear to be. But how many of us are simply living for the day or for the hour! We need to pause to consider the goal we may have in view, and to inquire as to the worthiness of our aims and purposes, to see if we are self-centered, intent upon the worship of matter, or giving God the first place in our affections.
Does it not seem that many mortals are chasing will-o'-the-wisps, the illusions of fleeting happiness and the false pleasures of the material senses, —things that seem to be here to-day but gone to-morrow? Many do not seem to have any definite aim beyond providing the daily necessities and a little store for the future. With others, it may be worldly success— power, fame, the social round, or mere intellectual attainment—which is the objective. Apparently, there is no place for God in their concept of what makes life worth the living; and underneath it all, consequently, is a sense of lack, perhaps unrecognized and unacknowledged, but nevertheless there. They are waiting for the touch of Truth to arouse and to awaken thought to the higher aims and purposes of life. And every one must eventually heed this touch.
Where, then, shall we turn for light to guide us and for inspiration to give us the incentive to something higher and better? To the inspired pages of the Bible. Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Who does not desire the assurance of immortality, and to experience the divine completeness and perfection of God's allness? This is the ultimate goal of all endeavor, although many times it is obscured by the ceaseless striving for the seeming necessities of material so-called life, or the blind grasping at the material illusions of the moment; yet this universal longing for the real is showing itself, as Truth leavens the thought of the world. There are many human footsteps to be taken, and many victories to be won. There must be a turning towards Spirit, God; and little by little we shall gain a clearer vision of reality and the desire to strive for the knowledge of God and His Christ, as this knowledge is given us in the Bible and in our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, wherein is found the complete exposition of how to lay hold on Life, here and now. As Truth is all-inclusive, this knowledge must be found therein.
