THE true sense of dwelling in unity is to recognize and be continually conscious of the fact that there is only one Mind, God, and that man is the expression of Mind. Does this seem too wide an assertion to make? No; for what it comprises is only what Jesus the Christ emphasized as God's law, and the way by which we may attain the understanding of our spiritual inheritance, eternal life: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." The true sense of living in unity with those around us, in the home, in business, in times of happiness or times of trial, is the recognition of our own spiritual oneness with infinite Mind, as an individual, perfect idea; and also of the equal spiritual oneness with Mind, in their true being as Mind's ideas, of all with whom we are thrown in the relations of daily life.
But, it may be said, that task is easy when our companions show the lovable and good qualities which express God, good. It is natural for us to reflect those qualities in our turn when friendliness and affection are met with kindness and understanding, and a right thought is met with the flash of answering thought. This is spontaneous and simple, and we recognize that dwelling in unity is, as the Psalmist said, "good and . . . pleasant." But what if those about us seem to meet our cheerfulness with discouragement, our kindness with churlishness, our progressiveness with obstruction? What then? Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, has written (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 262): "God creates man perfect and eternal in His own image. Hence man is the image, idea, or likeness of perfection —an ideal which cannot fall from its inherent unity with divine Love, from its spotless purity and original perfection". It is therefore our part to be conscious of Love's ever-presence and of man's unity with Love, no matter what the situation may be, or how much the false belief of hate, malice, or anger may try to obtrude itself on our thought. In becoming conscious of our spiritual unity with God, we arrive, in some measure at least, at the practical and only true way to dwell in unity with our fellow men.
Divine Mind is reflected and expressed through its ideas. Our work, then, is not only to express perfect Mind in our thought, word, and action day by day, moment by moment, but to hold the true concept of all God's children as equally at-one with Him, and as constantly able to express His qualities and desirous of doing so. This effort will be found to bring into our surroundings an increasing measure of harmony, progress, and right activity; and as we ourselves entertain harmonious and kindly thoughts and the desire for unity—inseparability from God— and see our fellow men as having an equal share of intelligence, goodness, and every other quality of God, we shall receive helpfulness in return. True consciousness, reflecting Mind, sees everywhere intelligence, friendliness, kindness, trust, and answering confidence.
