"A Deep sincerity is sure of success, for God takes care of it," writes Mary Baker Eddy in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 203). Mrs. Eddy was a deeply sincere seeker of God. Otherwise the great truths of divine Science could not have been revealed to her. Surely it was her humility, deep sincerity, and love for God and man which enabled her to present these truths to mankind through Christian Science.
Among the Old Testament characters is Joshua, that honest soldier of God, who, when trying to rouse the Israelites from the bondage of material worship, demanded of them (24:14), "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord." Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Elisha also must have sought God in sincerity and in truth, for they gave convincing proof that this single-minded seeking was not without its reward.
Jesus, we know, ever sought and obeyed his Father's will, and he revealed this will to others. After the ascension, when the disciples better understood the Master's teachings, they too continued in his work; though, of them all, John must have gained the clearest conception of God, for to him only was the vision of the Holy City revealed.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his followers (Matt. 5:8), "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Might we not paraphrase this as, "Blessed are the sincere in heart: for they shall see God"? As part of the definition of the word "pure" one dictionary gives, "Without foreign or extraneous admixture; ... unalloyed." If our motives are pure, then surely our seeking will be sincere. Perhaps we might say that love, honesty, humility, and sincerity are the essential qualities which we need to cultivate in our search for God.
Christian Science reveals God as the only Mind, divine Love, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Truth, and Life. It further reveals God as infinite, as indeed All, and His creation, man and the universe, as perfect as the Mind conceiving them. It follows that since God, Mind, is infinite, there can be in reality no other mind to cause man to sin, suffer, be diseased or destroyed. God is God now. He always has been. He always will be. Then man, whose unity with God is the unbroken reflection of His Being, is eternally existent and is not subject to discord.
Although the student of Christian Science accepts these great basic facts regarding creation, he knows that the so-called human individual cannot jump from gross materiality to complete spirituality at a single bound. He must take the necessary moral footsteps out of sin and sensuality and walk in the light and understanding which are his eternal inheritance as a son of God. Jesus said (Matt. 7:7), "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Often this seeking may mean much heart searching on our part, earnest prayer, and silent communing with God. Often it may mean the examining of our motives and our being willing to give up preconceived false opinions, our own ideas as to what should be done under certain circumstances. In praying for wisdom and guidance in the working out of our various human problems, we must work and pray from the standpoint of God's allness and the perfection of His creation, while denying the power and presence of evil. Then we must be willing to leave the outcome with Him. Only thus can we feel that we are seeking Him with a deep sincerity.
Seeking need not be a wearisome business. We all long to feel Love's presence and to experience the sweetness of divine revelation. And is there any joy to be compared to the joy of spiritually knowing ourselves and others as the children of the one divine Father-Mother God? Mrs. Eddy assures us that divine Love always meets the human need. But, basically, is not the human need always for a better understanding of God, of the spiritual reality of all things?
If we work from the standpoint of improving our understanding of God, we shall be spiritually right; and if we are spiritually right, then the human problems will be taken care of. This kind of working, or praying, brings to light the redemptive mission of Christian Science, which is to free mankind from the belief that there is a power or presence apart from God. As we accept in consciousness that which is spiritually right, our affairs become more harmonious, because the unreal is submitting to the real and eternal facts of being. Mrs. Eddy says in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 471, 472), "This Science teaches man that God is the only Life, and that this Life is Truth and Love; that God is to be understood, adored, and demonstrated; that divine Truth casts out suppositional error and heals the sick."
A short while ago the writer was suddenly afflicted with a severe cold. At the time, she was away from home at her work, and although she attempted to lift her thought above the difficulty, she experienced no relief. On arriving home in the evening, she had the usual duties to attend to, and it was quite late before she was able to go to bed.
All this while, she had been reaching out to God, but now she prayed more earnestly to be shown the truth she needed to understand. She knew that such a condition was no part of her real being, and she desired, naturally, to prove it. Taking up a copy of The Christian Science Journal, she opened it at an article which emphasized the fact that Truth is true now; that we do not have to bring it into being, set it in motion, or ask it to do its work.
Turning from the problem with fresh inspiration, she rejoiced anew in the great fact of Truth's allness and error's impotence; and while dwelling on the truth, she fell asleep. In the morning she awoke well and happy, free from the cold. Indeed, it was not until later in the day that she even remembered it.
The law of God, or Christian Science, always demands progress, and the sincere seeker soon comes to understand that it is not enough to turn to God only in time of need. Divine Love is ever at hand, ever ready to rouse human consciousness from material beliefs to spiritual understanding. Then let us open our hearts to the law of light and Love. In the words of a hymn (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 151):
To do Thy will is greater
Than sacrifice can be;
O give me needed courage
Sweet with sincerity.
From earthly thought released,
In speechless prayer and reverence,
Dear Lord, I come to Thee.
