CHRISTIAN SCIENCE has come to the world unfolding the glorious fact of God's allness, and teaching humanity more and more to realize what this wonderful fact includes and what far-reaching effects proceed from it. Christian Scientists are learning to understand somewhat that there is indeed no power but God, good; that we are God's children; that "we live, and move, and have our being" in infinite Life and Love; and that all good, together with the power to express it, has been given to man by his heavenly Father. We know in a measure, therefore, that joy, peace, health, strength, wisdom, and all we ever can need are ours by reflection. In a general way we are almost always ready to admit and declare this; but with many of us the spiritual fact is still thought of too much as a theory instead of being to us, in the words of our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 31), "the living Christ, the practical Truth."
The earnest worker daily perceives how much prayer and study are requisite in order to avail himself of all the blessings God is bestowing upon His children; he sees that he needs to be more awake to the truth, more alert to detect and deny the suggestions of mortal mind which try to blind him, and to hide from him the fact that man is indeed dwelling in the kingdom of God, and that this kingdom is within him. While aware of the fact that there is eternal unfoldment, and that complete assimilation of divine Science, the Science of infinity, will require eternity, one needs also to remember what, years ago, our Leader wrote in Science and Health (p. 89): "We are all capable of more than we do." This is not a rebuke, but a very encouraging statement, opening bright vistas of more effective work, better health, and increasing dominion over all evil; and spiritual growth is the only way to this desired goal.
Let us consider what growth is, what is required in order to grow more quickly, and how we can guard against that which would retard or check our growth. The Bible tells us that God's work is done, done for all eternity; nothing can be added to God's work, nothing can be taken from it. Neither God nor His work needs to grow, as this word is generally understood, in order to be perfect, complete, and harmonious. What needs to grow is our understanding of this fact, our consciousness of all that pertains to God and therefore to His image and likeness. Growth may be defined in Christian Science as the process of becoming conscious of what is true and real, and of appropriating or taking possession of it. Growth is the unfoldment in our consciousness of that which is now true, always has been true, and will be true forever. Growth is the realization of man's oneness with God, the effect of seeing Him "as he is," as John says.
