PROBABLY two of the greatest problems confronting mankind today are those of income and outgo. The view which sees income as something that must be earned by the sweat of the brow or by mere human smartness has not brought lasting security or success to anyone, and none may know this better than the employer and employee. Many are finding that material methods present no way out of their difficulties regarding supply, and that the only solution must come through a spiritual understanding of God and His government of man.
Christian Science reveals the true nature of income and outgo as spiritual, never material. Income, rightly discerned, consists of the coming to or appearing in human consciousness of right ideas. These right ideas emanate from their eternal source, God, the only Mind. They are the heritage of man, God's likeness, and manifest the nature and attributes of God. Spiritual man —and he is the only real man—has always been conscious of this true income of good which belongs to him by divine right.
In the human sense of employment an individual's income often appears to cause anxiety and is sometimes inadequate. According to this type of reckoning, one's income often varies with changing business conditions and depends upon stamina, education, or other human factors. Man's true income, however, is unlike that of mortals and is never subject to fluctuations of any kind, for it is not controlled by matter conditions or beliefs. Coming from God, the only power and presence, man's income cannot be diverted or lost.
Christ Jesus urged his followers to seek "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). His counsel meant that they were to cease relying upon material sources of income and, instead, were to seek the spiritual, true riches of Truth and Love.
These spiritual riches are obtained, now as then, when we become conscious of man's unity with the one omnipotent Mind, God. As we accept the spiritual ideas which come to us from this source of all true intelligence, we shall be guided to take the correct human measures toward the utilization of these ideas, a utilization which will meet every present requirement.
These right ideas, which are our real income, include love, unselfishness, joy, patience, intelligence, dominion, and the like. The expressing of these in our daily living constitutes our true outgo. The great need of mankind today is to accept as its own this only income and outgo of God's creating. The extent of our income can be measured by the spiritual good we are accepting, and our outgo by the good we are giving out, God always being the source and Giver.
This true outgoing is the law of Love in operation, and the demand never exceeds the supply. Inexhaustible Love is ever available to all, and its law demands that we love God and man. Mary Baker Eddy states in her article, "Love Your Enemies" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 12), "We should measure our love for God by our love for man; and our sense of Science will be measured by our obedience to God, —fulfilling the law of Love, doing good to all; imparting, so far as we reflect them, Truth, Life, and Love to all within the radius of our atmosphere of thought."
The law of Love operating in the consciousness of employer and employee removes worry and anxiety, enables them to judge accurately the true nature of income and outgo and to realize that false responsibility, apprehension, inconsiderateness, and weariness have no place in the divine economy. Because God is the only power and the only presence, and because He tenderly guides, sustains, and maintains His creation, there can never be any shortages for man. Mankind will solve the problem of supply and demand as it accepts and understands the great fact that true income and outgo are God-created and always available to all.
The writer knew a man who was manager of a business which was continually striving and competing for increased output. The human planning and prodigious efforts resulted in undue sharpness and competition among his staff. As each tried to accomplish more than the other, envy and jealousy sprang up. Into this human concept of business, unfair competition entered. Questionable actions became prevalent as the efforts to benefit from the monetary awards offered for increased output were intensified.
The manager, who disliked the methods being used, but who was afraid that his own position might be jeopardized if he interfered and the turnover dropped, became interested in Christian Science. As his spiritual understanding increased, he discovered that he could not be a Christian Scientist and still allow his staff to conduct their business in such a manner. After he had overcome fear, the manager one day called the staff together and explained to them a new plan for output. This plan had come to him after much prayerful consideration and was generous to his employees, but it ruled out competition for monetary awards. He was surprised how quickly the men decided to give it a fair trial.
A few weeks elapsed; then the manager met the staff again and informed them that the output had increased, and the spokesman for the staff, replying, said that they were happy and contented, and that all felt the new method was right. No longer were envy and jealousy prevalent among the staff, but a new sense of co-operation and brotherhood was evident.
The manager has always been grateful for the fact that Christian Science revealed to him that substance and progress do not depend upon material striving and competition. The realization that income and outgo are God-given not only blessed him but also blessed the staff and the business. He had learned that the expressing of Godlike qualities, such as brotherly love, justice, honesty, wisdom, and courage, is true outgo, which manifests itself in a better quality and greater quantity of output, promotes the brotherhood of man, and blesses all concerned. This manager thus proved some measure of the truth of Mrs. Eddy's statement in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 206): "In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes,—Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply."
Well-meaning people are stating that an increase in material output will bring an increase in material income, and that this is the only solution for many of the shortages and difficulties of mankind. Often, however, where this has been tried, no solution of the problem has occurred. The world's need is to understand the spiritual meaning of income and outgo and their real relationship to the prosperity of individuals and nations. When it is learned that the Christlike spirit of giving must accompany every effort and must come first, and that true substance does not consist in the accumulation of material wealth, then a lasting solution to world problems will appear.
As we understand that material conditions are the objectification of human thought, we have a basis for correcting discordant conditions by replacing in human consciousness the false material beliefs which produce them with the spiritual ideas of divine Mind or Principle. This divine Principle is Love, and as mankind clings steadfastly to the eternal laws it reveals, error will disappear, and harmony and progress will be manifested. There can be no condition or circumstance which is not subject to the healing power of divine Love, understood and demonstrated, for Love is omnipotent, fearless, invariable, ever present. When the false material sense testimony that income and outgo are inadequate is rejected and consciousness is imbued with the truth as to God and His harmonious government of man, we shall express love and good will and have a never-failing supply to meet all our needs.
In the realm of Mind man lives eternally as God's idea, and there is no displacement, replacement, or competition. In the degree that we identify man as the image and likeness of God, good, we find that our every need is met. Thus we prove in our experience the truth of the words of the father in the Master's parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:31), "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."
Because that which the Father has, is reflected by man, his income is continuous and assured. When we love our neighbor as ourselves in obedience to the law of divine Love, our outgo can never fail. As we identify ourselves and others as God's ideas, we identify ourselves with our true income and outgo.
