A VERY great deal has been said about human footsteps and the necessity of taking them in our journey from sense to Soul. It is always helpful to study more than one thing which our Leader has said on any subject, either in the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," or in her other writings; for by so doing we get a better perspective of the point under consideration, and as a result our actions will correspond.
On page 254 of Science and Health we read, "The human footsteps leading to perfection are indispensable;" and again on page 426 of the same book Mrs. Eddy writes, "The discoverer of Christian Science finds the path less difficult when she has the high goal always before her thoughts, than when she counts her footsteps in endeavoring to reach it." These two sentences, taken in conjunction with each other, may indicate what should be the position of the "human footsteps" in our thought—namely, that they should always be subservient to the "high goal."
Sometimes the temptation comes to the Christian Scientist to quote the first of these passages to himself or to others as a kind of "Suffer it to be so now," or as an excuse for not relying wholly upon Truth. The so-called human mind is always opposed to progress, and would always try to keep us so busy with the human footsteps of our journey that we forget to look up to the high goal before each step is taken, with the result that we are apt to take many steps which lead us into difficulties, claiming to impede our progress, steps which in many cases have to be retraced. These mortal suggestions, however, would be promptly overcome if the second passage were remembered, and we turned instantly to God, to the one divine Mind, to the high goal of His direction and guidance.
