In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 200) Mrs. Eddy writes: "It was the consummate naturalness of Truth in the mind of Jesus, that made his healing easy and instantaneous. Jesus regarded good as the normal state of man, and evil as the abnormal." To think of good as normal and natural is to open the door of our consciousness to the incoming of Truth. This is one of the requisites of spiritual receptivity, whereby we can begin to make practical use of the teachings of Christian Science in our everyday affairs. One definition of "natural" is "conformed to truth or reality."
Failure to respond to the healing ministrations of Truth, as revealed in Christian Science, even though earnestly sought, can sometimes be traced to a seeming inability to regard "good as the normal state of man," on the plea that it is not honest to think in that way when so much evil is apparent. That view, contrariwise, indicates a belief that it is more honest to think of evil as normal, natural, and real—an attitude which would present that as honest which is inherently dishonest, and which would stultify any attempt to demonstrate spiritual receptivity.
In Revelation we find this statement: "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." If we deny that good is "the normal state of man," we deny the name or nature of God and His Christ. But even "a little strength," a little persistence, in declaring the truth of man's real nature, reflecting the divine, opens our eyes to "an open door," open to the infinite ideas pouring forth from the heart of Love. How necessary and imperative it is to take that one step, and regard "good as the normal state of man"!
