The Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy can be studied from many perspectives. If we dig into them with a specific desire to learn how to heal more effectively, we'll find fresh views and clear direction. If we've studied the ideas contained in these books for many years, it's important to guard against just reading words and skipping over important guidance.
As an example, consider this statement by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health: "Whoever would demonstrate the healing of Christian Science must abide strictly by its rules, heed every statement, and advance from the rudiments laid down." Science and Health, p. 462. Those first two requirements call for discipline, and honest learning. Sometimes we do a fairly good job of abiding by the rules—and perhaps we're not doing too badly at heeding every statement. In fact, we may pore over the books until we really know those rules and statements forward and backward. But if we get overly caught up in the first two imperatives, we may neglect the third: advancement.
It's quite possible to put much time into the first two categories and still accomplish very little in the way of healing. The key to a healing may lie in whether we are truly moving forward with the original points of metaphysics we first learn in Science. Actually, the difficulty confronting us may be no more than a symptom of the fact that we've been willing to rest on our laurels. In such a case the need is to be roused into action—into a spiritual vitality that carries us forward to new ground, new insights and discoveries about the nature of God and man.
