TO what extent should one expect good in one's daily experience? Clear and practical instruction on this subject was given to Abram, when he was told to lift up his eyes from the place where he stood and look in all directions—to the north, south, east, and west, and the measure of his receiving was set forth thus, "All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."
Abram knew the value of looking away from self and self-interests, for he had no apprehension of loss or lack when quieting the strife between his herdsmen and those of Lot, who saw only many cattle and the scarcity of pasturage and water for them. Abram had lifted up his eyes. He had mentally discerned the great spiritual truth that the measureless Mind which creates also maintains His creatures in unlimited abundance; so with ease and confidence he was able to give Lot the choice of taking his herds either to the right or to the left. It was following this important mental step of the patriarch that God bade him further enlarge his vision or expectancy of good by looking not merely to the right or left, but in all directions,—to the north, south, east, west,—so pointing him not only to sufficiency but to infinity. Thus he saw that there was not merely enough for himself and his cattle, but more than enough both for these and also for his seed forever. "All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it"!
How far are we seeing to-day? Is our outlook distorted, being concerned with strife, rivalry, and greed; or is it spiritual, perceiving that Principle is impartial and exhaustless in its abundant provision for all? Is our vision cramped and limited, seeing supply, perchance, as dependent on the efforts of one person, along one line of training, through one avenue alone; and if that one should fail, is thought distraught, instead of being conscious of the innumerable channels through which divine Mind is constantly pouring out its ideas to bless all mankind?
Is one seeing health as dependent upon a certain climate, food, or drug, instead of finding strength and freedom in the life-giving truth? Is one seeing companionship in a chosen few, and finding human existence gratified or marred in the praise or disapproval of these few? Or is one's thought enlarging to include the whole human family in one universal brotherhood, as did the vision of the Master, Christ Jesus?
For all of these situations the remedy given to Abram is available now, and as much so to one as to another. This remedy lies in beginning from the place where we are,—that is, wherever the light of Truth finds us, —and in looking beyond the progress already made, even though it may seem to us very good indeed. We also may have stilled much strife in our consciousness, much contention, rivalry, greed, competition, fear, and animal courage; and this progress is cause for much humble gratitude. But we must take further steps by constantly lifting our thoughts and looking out and beyond a specified number of known water wells and pastures to the measureless resources of Mind. In this way we see unfolding before us countless opportunities which, as they are improved, result in advancement, improvement, development, usefulness, each day being found richer for the experiences we have made our own.
Early navigators sailed in a restricted area for long years, until one courageous sailor reached the perception of a spherical earth. Then, and not until then, was it possible for him to sail into unknown seas and so prove to a misinformed world that the limited, flat earth, so long an accepted belief in the general thought, was merely a false conclusion based on limited understanding and resulting in restricted activity.
Probably most of us to-day can see where we have fettered ourselves by mentally looking in some one direction only, thereby crippling and hampering our health, our joy, our prosperity, and our freedom. But Christian Science is daily and hourly liberating us by teaching us just this process of lifting thought, seeking the consciousness of infinite divine Mind, in which error of every sort is unknown and no sense of limitation can dwell. In so far as we do this, the land will open out before us, the land of spiritual substance, which can never be measured; the vision of immortal being, which can never be interrupted or blotted out; the land of peace on earth, infinite richness of thought, with resultant enlarging manifestation.
The outward manifestation of the land which we see might be illustrated as in the following: Were four persons of differing tastes, experience, age, and environment requested to draw the plan of a building, no further directions being given, what a diversity we should find in their results! A little girl might draw a doll house, vague in proportions, but abounding in windows. A city-reared boy, having taken his first trip to the inspiring mountains, might sketch a plan for a cabin in the woods. Older homemakers, having had the experience of living in small and sunless apartments, might envision spacious rooms, wide porches, and sunny nooks in house and garden; and the practical business man, with thought of active industry, might plan a model factory or huge office building, a marvel of labor-saving detail where every device was considered to quicken production and add to convenience. Now, each of these persons would have brought forth only what was within the scope of his mental vision. The little maid, happily busy with her play, could not have seen what the adventurous mountain climber saw, until experience had enlarged her vision; and in like manner the eager home-maker could not have seen what the business executive planned. But as far as each one of them saw, so far he brought forth; and thus it is with our seeing in every phase of life.
Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, illustrated the possibilities of spiritual vision in his healing work, beginning his recorded miracles with the loving act of turning water into wine at a wedding feast when there seemed to be a lack of what was then accepted as desirable. But his perception of limitless power did not stop there, his spiritual vision swept outward to include not alone his neighbors and kinsmen, but all mankind — feeding a multitude and liberating humanity from sin, sensuality, disease of every sort. It led on to his complete repudiation of the fallacy of life in matter, proved by his triumph over the claims of persecution, indignity, and death. As far as he saw was his; and infinity was its measure.
A stanza in a cherished hymn reads,
"All that being e'er shall know,
On, still on, through farthest years,
All eternity can show,
Bright before Thee now appears."
From the experience of an injury resulting from a fall, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, lifted her eyes and looked into the measureless dimensions of Truth; and the land which she saw was hers forever. Prayerfully depending on God for guidance, she beheld the land of Christian Science opening before her spiritualized vision, and received her own healing after material methods had failed. From then on the progressive lifting up of her thought advanced, until it brought forth the elucidation of her discovery in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures;" the world-wide movement of Christian Science, including healing and teaching; the founding of a church having a uniform impersonalized church service, and a systematized Lesson-Sermon for individual daily study; the establishing of a Board of Lectureship, and of daily, weekly, and monthly periodicals, thus demonstrating her words (Science and Health, p. 66), "Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love."
Well may we ponder these rich examples, with the way pointed out and demonstrated. And while we may not as yet have proved so much spiritual progress as did some of the Biblical characters, we can press forward, knowing that in proportion to our discernment of infinite Truth there will appear in our experience a corresponding increasing manifestation of health, harmony, and joy.
