The words used in Christian Science to describe man as the idea of God— expression, emanation, manifestation, image, likeness—all indicate an outgoing activity, the reflection of the divine nature and character. This teaching is premised on the fact that the kingdom of heaven is within man and that it is man's nature to reflect this true being.
On the other hand, the mortal, material outlook on life is, on the whole, quite different. It's largely involved in a "getting" activity, the selfishly motivated action of obtaining or accumulating. If one starts with mortal mind, with the sense of lack, vacuity, limitation, then the liability is that thought turns inward and becomes selfish, negative, consuming, soaking up like a sponge, absorbed in materialism. This is the direct opposite of spiritual reflection.
One can ask himself these pertinent questions: "Do I reflect divine Truth, or do I absorb error? Do I enter my daily activity conscious of God's infinite goodness and with an unselfish motive, determined to express the nature of divine Love, to reflect God's beneficence? Or do I start my day with a negative sense of man, a sense of lack, seeking how I may obtain, gratify myself, consume instead of create?" Mortal mind has a parasitical tendency, feeding on others, "going along for the ride," getting something for nothing, consumed with self-pity, clinging to person rather than feeling the independence of the divine creative Principle expressed in man.
