How often we hear someone say, ''I am so tired." Those who work physically or mentally—and some who do not—are often prone to think, even if they do not say, "I am weary." Mary Baker Eddy, having in mind the spiritual nature of man, calls such statements "false talking." Remember this. In her writings are numerous helpful references on the falsity of fatigue and how to master it. Mortals ordinarily accept it without a protest. As Christian Scientists it is our privilege to prove man's dominion over it.
On page 217 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes: "You say, 'Toil fatigues me.' But what is this me? Is it muscle or mind? Which is tired and so speaks? Without mind, could the muscles be tired? Do the muscles talk, or do you talk for them?" And she adds (p. 218), "Mortal mind does the false talking, and that which affirms weariness, made that weariness." Much food for thought is in these few sentences. If as a student of Christian Science you will ponder them well you will see that the material sensation described as weariness and fatigue, finding voice in "I am tired," is negative mortal mind talking through its mouthpiece, mortal man. In effect, it is saying, "Life is in matter, in muscles and nerves, which after some activity feel that material sensation called fatigue." Fatigue, like pain, is actually a mental, not a physical, feeling. It is remedied by a change of thought from the belief that life and strength are in matter to the spiritual fact that the only real life and strength of man are in never-tiring Mind, Spirit, God. Divine Mind is perpetually fresh, vigorous, and strong. Man, as Mind's reflection, must and does express these qualities. Neither material age nor human circumstance alters this divine fact.
Furthermore, Christian Science brings to light the scientific truth that Mind alone determines the work, or activity, of all of its ideas. Mortal mind and human personalities do not. Man, the expression of the Mind that is Life, always has from God the strength and ability to do what his cause impels him to do.
Here then are two metaphysical points to hold in thought. First, that it is God who makes us and our brother, and determines, through His absolute control, all true activity. Secondly, whatever God ordains for us to do He surely gives us the strength to do, without penalty of fatigue. Right activity is not fatigue-producing, but strength-embodying. Sometimes we may find ourselves confronted with situations where mortals, rather than God, may appear to define our activity, and where the work mortals assign to us, or circumstances demand of us, seems burdensome and tiring. Humanly we may feel powerless to rectify the condition, and periodic weariness may result. But God is still in control, mindful of His children, and always able and willing to meet our every human need and bring harmony into our every human experience.
If the work in the home, the office, the factory, on the farm, or in the services seems overburdening, the remedy is always the same. Turn to God. Really realize your spiritual nature and your unity with Him. See that as His child you are under His control and not that of mortal mind and mortals. You are united to Him, as idea is to Mind. He alone makes you, activates you, gives you without limit of His own tireless energy and untiring strength.
Jesus put it so simply (John 14:10), "The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Tireless, strength-possessing Mind is our Ego. Our only real activity is the reflection of the never-tiring action of God Himself. It is God who really is doing all the work, and constituting all the activity of being. Surely He is never wearied in performing this, His natural function.
As we see the spiritual fact of our oneness with tireless Mind and its complete control over us, and that it naturally gives us always the ability to do what it defines for us to do, we can be sure that if the human situation needs adjustment this can appear in a right and timely way. And of course we must know God controls our brother as well as ourselves.
Let us be as reluctant to say, "I am weary," as to say, "I am sick." In both instances thought listens to, accepts, a suggestion of mortal mind, concurs in and publicizes it. Why not meet the suggestion as we would sickness, and say something like this: "No, I am not weary, for weariness is only the 'false talking' of material sense, and material sense always lies. It never tells me my true condition or correctly defines my status." Let us know that we are never conditioned as material sense argues we are. We are conditioned only by our ever-present cause, which makes and knows us to be the indefatigable ideas of untiring Mind. In this Mind is our never-waning vigor, ability, strength. Our activity is the expression of Mind, unrestricted by the limitations of mortal mind and sentient physicality.
After a long hike in the Cascade Mountains in the Northwest, I once returned home feeling much fatigued. For a little I mentally agreed with this argument, but soon I saw there was no good reason for doing so. This body, I reasoned, does not know whether it has been hiking or sitting. It does not know whether it has been afoot or on horseback. Furthermore, negative, mortal mind does not know anything of what has really been going on in the only true order of being. Actually while the hike was on, to human sense, God was All-in-all and was being expressed by all His ideas, not one of whom was subject to fictional mortal mind, nor could its lie of limited strength penalize or restrict them. The spiritual fact of man's God-expressing activity could never be followed by fatigue-expressing material sensation, which can no more be my condition than it can be God's. The result was a quick passing out of thought of any sense of weariness, and the coming of a sense of freshness and renewed strength.
What was done in this simple instance to overcome fatigue can be done in more involved ones. Never are weariness and fatigue derived from God, and what is not of Him is not a condition of His children, chronically or occasionally. The son of God never descends to the status of a tired mortal. What voices weariness is always what makes weariness, and this negative mind is never the Ego, Mind, or substance of man. His being expresses daily, hourly, eternally, the omniactive, tireless One.
