During the first few weeks of my attendance at services in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, I read and pondered a quotation by Mary Baker Eddy which was inscribed on the wall of the church. The statement read in part: "Jesus' three days' work in the sepulchre set the seal of eternity on time" (see The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 214). The revelation inspired by these words was startling. I saw that since the seal of eternity is set on time, time does not exist, and therefore it could no longer shut my door to a happy life. Nor did I have to dispose of time myself, for Jesus had already done so; I needed only to accept these facts.
The evidence of this revelation of truth came quickly. Where I had labored for months to arrange my business sales calls in a reasonable way and had failed miserably because I was either too late or my prospect was busy, now the interviews began to come in proper and effective order. My gratitude was unbounded. At once I set about praying to understand more fully this profound statement. As I continued to read and ponder the teachings of Christian Science, my prayer to see the unreality of time was answered by steady and growing unfoldment.
For instance, in planning a workday at the office, I had made it a habit to arrange the various jobs on my desk in the order of their importance. This habit had proved more disturbing than effective. Often as I started on the first job, there would come the question, "Is this really the most important, or have I made a mistake in putting it first?" And then the day would be spent in an atmosphere of doubt. Now it became more and more evident that because divine Mind governs all, it would unfold to me whatever intelligent action was required. A sentence from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy accurately describes this divine activity (p. 506): "Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear." My responsibility, then, was to make sure that each of my activities had behind it what I could honestly call a holy purpose and was not impelled by a sense of human will. As this was done, the petals of each holy purpose were truly opened in ways glorious to behold, and the former method of planning from a human sense of time and direction slowly faded out.
As the understanding that it is truly possible to surmount the beliefs of time and their evil effects continued to unfold, I made a careful study of what our beloved Leader tells us in her writings on the subject of time, giving special attention to her definition of "time," which is found in the Glossary (ibid., p. 595): "Mortal measurements; limits, in which are summed up all human acts, thoughts, beliefs, opinions, knowledge; matter; error; that which begins before, and continues after, what is termed death, until the mortal disappears and spiritual perfection appears."
Frequently we may have a work assignment which seems to demand long hours, strength-consuming effort, and intense concentration almost beyond our capacity. Fear, weariness, boredom, and frustration often ensue. Our prayer is to know that Mind, Spirit, is the source of all action. However, if relief does not promptly come, it is well to consider whether some subtle suggestion of time is the deterrent. When we are truly willing to accept the fact that the Master "set the seal of eternity on time," the truth of the eternality of being frees us from the limiting suggestions of time.
Sometimes the question is asked, Why do students of Christian Science use watches, clocks, and calendars, if time is properly defined as error? We may well answer that the use of these devices is normal and, in fact, essential to the orderly and courteous operation of our human activities. However, if our daily living is subject to any imposition or limitation of clock or calendar, we should carefully examine our thinking to see whether our house is built on the rock of Truth or on the sands of time. Monday morning should never be just another start in the same old routine of life, but rather the dawn of a new day, revealing the glory of infinite being.
Students who study the mission of Christ Jesus carefully are always impressed by the number and variety of the healings of sickness, sin, and death recorded in the Gospels. But even more significant is the fact that in almost every instance the healing was instantaneous. The Bible reports a significant discussion between the Jews and Jesus (John 8:56-58): "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." Jesus' remarkable statement shows how utterly free he was of time's imposition, and therefore why his healings were instantaneous. When we gain a clearer understanding of this truth and are willing to drop the fetters of time from our concept of life, our healings will approximate the Master's.
Often situations arise in our human relations which are unhappy because time imposes age differences between individuals. When we become convinced that time cannot divide the eternal life of man into categories carrying age labels, we deal more intelligently and lovingly with those who appear to be younger or older. Students of Christian Science who teach Sunday School rejoice in the disappearance of age labels which insist that adults are teaching children. Both pupils and teachers, without regard to their respective ages, find themselves free to accept the unfoldment of Mind during the Sunday School period.
While the so-called march of time insists on the inevitability of such evils as immaturity, retarded growth, ugliness, decrepitude, decadence, incapacity, and so on, "the seal of eternity" disposes of this unholy train and establishes the fact that man is at one with his Father-Mother, God, reflecting in the eternal now the forever newness of Life.
The foregoing observations offer merely an inkling of the wonderful experiences that are available to students of Christian Science as they learn how eternity truly replaces time in all phases of our daily lives. And these blessings may be shared with all mankind as we rejoice in the way of Love universal. To maintain our assurance of these truths, may we all pray the prayer of Jesus (John 17:5), "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
