One beautiful day late in the evening a Christian Scientist and his wife were traveling by plane across a desert. From the height at which they were moving, objects on the ground seemed almost indistinguishable, but here and there a particular feature could be discerned in the gathering dusk. Suddenly the wife nudged her husband and pointed towards the horizon, to a beautiful blue lake nestling beneath a rose-colored mountain. The contrast of azure and rose was magnificent; it was like a lovely landscape set in a somber frame. For a few moments they watched it with breathless pleasure, until suddenly, in the changing glow of the sunset, lake and mountain disappeared from view—nothing remained but a dark and weary waste of sand and shadows.
This mirage, for so it was, captivated the imagination for a moment, but it included nothing real or permanent. It hinted at a rose-colored mountain towering above an azure lake, but this landscape of lake and mountain as viewed by the two travelers was only a myth! It had no substance, no stability, no permanence. Had the travelers descended together from their plane and endeavored to walk by the lake or ascend the mountain, they would have found nothing but a wilderness of sand. Disappointment and disillusionment would then have taken the place of pleasurable anticipation.
In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes (p. 300), "The mirage, which makes trees and cities seem to be where they are not, illustrates the illusion of material man, who cannot be the image of God."
The important point for each one to decide is whether his viewpoint of man is the real and spiritual, or the material and mythical. Do we see a friend as he really is, as the image and likeness of God, or only as he seems to be? A material view of friendship or companionship, like the mirage in the desert, fluctuates with the changing views of mortals. Contradictory thoughts sweep the harpstrings of mortal mind. Interest or apathy, trust or mistrust, harmony or discord, appear in a never-ending kaleidoscope to those whose affections are personal and material. Contradictions disappear when thought and action are kept in accord with Christ, and the spiritual standard of perfect God and perfect man is allowed to govern human relationships.
One of the noticeable characteristics of Christ Jesus was the spirituality of his affections. He rebuked the personal sense of Mary when he felt her material touch (John 20:17); but contrast his gentle rebuke with the spiritual joy with which he later met the two Marys on the road to Jerusalem. How triumphantly he greeted them with that glorious salutation, "All hail" (Matt. 28:9)!
Mrs. Eddy greatly valued the affection of her friends. As a follower of the Master she too rebuked the material touch of those who were possessive or selfish in their affections. She realized the dangers of personal sense and pointed out these dangers in her published writings. But the claim of personal sense did not cause Mrs. Eddy to abjure friendship and companionship or to withdraw into a spiritual isolation from those she loved. Spiritualization of thought ensured safe and permanent companionship and united her not only to her family circle, but to an ever-increasing number of grateful students and followers who had been healed and regenerated by the ministrations of Christian Science.
In spiritual companionship we climb the heights of holiness; we walk with confidence beside the still waters of Truth; we gather the fruits from the tree of Life; we enjoy the genial atmosphere of Soul and the warm glow and sunlight of Love. A glimpse of spiritual existence is a glimpse of true companionship. In the words of the hymn:
"Once more the lonely heart is fed.
Who dwells with Love hath perfect ease,
Faith, hope, and joy are with us all;
Great are companions such as these."
Spiritual companionship is never selfish or possessive. With true happiness comes a wider benevolence and a desire to share with all the blessings to be found in Spirit. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health (p. 57): "Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." This goal is reached by all who seek the spiritual meaning of companionship, for no joys excel the joys of Spirit. Years pass unrecorded when true companions part and meet again. The way may be long, the wind cold, the grade steep, but these vicissitudes produce no change. No more permanent friendship can be found in our human experience than that based on the spiritual values revealed in the Bible and the Christian Science textbook— themselves companions that illustrate the inestimable value of spiritual companionship.
