St. Paul, beholding in the streets of Lystra the impotent man who had been a cripple from his birth, and "perceiving that he had faith to be healed," addressed him with the startling command, "Stand upright on thy feet." And it is recorded that "he leaped and walked." The condition of this seemingly hopeless cripple was recognized by St. Paul as affording an opportunity to prove that the kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand, and that man's birthright of perfection was possible of realization then and there.
Every discordant human experience should be recognized as an opportunity to establish the kingdom of heaven in our consciousness. Heaven, harmony, is ever present. Standing unswervingly for this spiritual fact is of the utmost importance. But this stand is not in any sense the stubborn resistance of human will; it is rather a lifting of thought above the discordant experience, a steadfast waiting with an open and receptive consciousness for the unfolding of the divine purpose.
The divine purpose is to reveal to human consciousness the kingdom which Christ Jesus preached and demonstrated as possible of realization, and which Christian Science reveals as a present fact, discernible by those whose thought is open to receive Christ, Truth. Mary Baker Eddy, Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, defines "kingdom of heaven" on page 590 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" as "the reign of harmony in divine Science; the realm of unerring, eternal, and omnipotent Mind; the atmosphere of Spirit, where Soul is supreme."
