Christian Science teaches that God is Life, and that man, God's reflection, is the individualized expression of Life. God loves and is ever conscious of man, individually as well as collectively. The divine Mind maintains the activity, position, and relationship of all His ideas in the divine economy. Man can never be separated from Life. He is God's perfect spiritual representative. Manifesting Life is his business, the reason for his existence. Man can never voluntarily or involuntarily fail, quit, or be deprived of his divinely directed activity. Mary Baker Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 470, 471), "The relations of God and man, divine Principle and idea, are indestructible in Science; and Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law, in which God and all that He creates are perfect and eternal, to have remained unchanged in its eternal history."
A number of years ago, the writer was compelled to meet and overcome both the fear of death and the desire to die. When a problem of health failed to yield readily to the healing power of Truth, he became so discouraged that he felt an almost overwhelming desire to die. However, he recognized this as an aggressive suggestion, and turned his thought to God in prayer for inspiration and guidance. Then he began to reason: "What good would it do me to pass on? It is impossible to run away from erroneous thinking. I must work out my salvation from this claim of life in matter either here or hereafter. Death is not a friend. It solves nothing. The only way to overcome error is to stick to the truth. Divine Love gives me the ability to live courageously in the present. The victory of Truth over error is inevitable."
Resolutely he persisted in declaring the truth about God and man, and endeavored to identify himself with the truth in his thinking. Suddenly he began to feel assured of the unbroken continuity of Life. Through reason and spiritual revelation he was freed from defeatist suggestions. Divinely inspired thinking is always expectant of good, for good alone is real. It was as though he had been fearfully approaching what seemed to be the end of a dark canyon and then saw the way open before him, leading to beautiful green fields beyond. He remembered the familiar words of the Psalmist, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me." Then he thought: "There is nothing to fear. God is my Life. He loves me. He will take care of me wherever I am." With this realization of Love's presence and protecting care, he relaxed and rested. In the morning he awakened refreshed and on the road to recovery. An awareness of Life and Love had triumphed over the fear of death; and he had demonstrated the truth of Mrs. Eddy's statement (Science and Health, p. 426): "When it is learned that disease cannot destroy life, and that mortals are not saved from sin or sickness by death, this understanding will quicken into newness of life. It will master either a desire to die or a dread of the grave, and thus destroy the great fear that besets mortal existence."
