Some years ago I met a young woman who told me something that I have never forgotten and that has helped me solve more than one problem through the years.
I was a freshman in college at the time, and my social life was anything but happy. There were situations and people I wanted changed. I had been a Christian Scientist all my life and depended on it to work out my few physical problems, but I had never before faced such challenging interpersonal problems. And at this moment I found myself thinking entirely from a mortal, material basis.
My newfound friend (a class-taught student of Christian Science) listened to my unpleasant story and then said quite simply, "If you want things to happen, get up on the level where they're happening." This statement was like a light to me, and I could see it was the complete answer to my situation. Grasping the truth behind that statement, I humbly and willingly began to pray on a spiritual basis to solve my problem—just as I would have done to heal a physical ailment.
I well knew the fundamentals of divine Science as revealed in Mrs. Eddy's book Science and Health. So I began to study the Bible Lessons in the Christian Science Quarterly more thoroughly, and I proceeded to reject every adverse suggestion that was presenting itself to me, replacing it with the counter fact as I knew it existed in the one divine Mind. I remember the great uplift that came to me as I acknowledged and rejoiced that true companionship lies in man's constant oneness with God. This reference from Psalms came to me: "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Ps. 16:11. Other inspiring and satisfying statements from the Bible and Science and Health supported me. I could feel that I was on the right track and on holy ground because of the sense of peace that came over me.
I was discovering, at least in part, my true identity as man, the spiritual idea of God—happy and content. I was realizing that I was not a timid, sensitive, introverted, gloomy mortal but the complete, noble, worthy child of God. As such, I had a rich heritage, and there was nothing to be ashamed of or sensitive about. I really did not have to get or change anything. I lived only to express and glorify God. As I realized these spiritual truths, my whole approach to life seemed to leap spiritually forward. I saw that in the last analysis there really was only one level of thought, and that was the spiritual realm of the real, or life in God. There never was a mortal level, and in reality, I never had been engulfed in an unhappy situation. In God's sight, as His perfect child, I was on the spiritual level—the level of right thought—all the time. I just had to recognize and understand this fact and enjoy it. Needless to say, a higher life purpose and ideal began to appear.
Seen in retrospect, this was a landmark in my life—a tremendous turning point. And I have continued to remind myself in times of adversity to turn from the mortal sense of things to the one and only spiritual level of God-bestowed consciousness where only right, good things are going on continuously. As I gained this spiritual viewpoint, everything and everybody, including myself, could be seen more constantly as they really are— clothed with divinity.
I must add that it was not long before rewarding companionship came into my life. I felt more comfortable with people and loved them more. An acute sense of criticism, which had before so blinded me to the true sense of happiness, gave way to a more compassionate outlook toward my peers. I gained a better sense of what Mrs. Eddy means when she writes: "Divinity alone solves the problem of humanity, and that in God's own time." The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 306.
Praying on the basis of the spiritual reality of the one Mind, embracing only the pure ideas of this Mind, we find ourselves alone with God. Rejoicing in this sacred relationship of Father and son, we can successfully work out any problem that may confront us. When we really desire to companion with God, there is no thought of selfishness or outlined human desires. The underlying motive is always to know God better and serve Him to our utmost capacity moment by moment.
As we reflect the divine consciousness in conformity with the pure Christ, we will find out what actually is going on. We will, in increasing degree, awake to realize the ever-unfolding, active universe of Mind. We will find it is not a blank, detached, impractical, or abstract sense of life but a dynamic, glorious activity of all right ideas, expressed in our daily experience as harmony, joy, peace, acumen, strength, health—and above all love. We will find our very nature being transformed.
Maintaining Christly thinking—consistently staying in that true realm of right thought where, as my friend said, "things are happening"—requires dedication and work. Mortal mind, or animal magnetism, with its suggestions of evil, pain, and unhappiness, clamors for occupancy of our thought. We need a strong determination, courage, and honest willingness to part with and blot out these arguments of mortal mind. They would separate us from our clear realization of the omnipresence of the one Mind and keep us from instantly letting go of earthbound false suggestions.
Sometimes erroneous thoughts come so subtly that we are unaware of their presence and find ourselves caught in their grasp, worrying, prognosticating, fearing, weighing pros and cons, wanting a certain thing to happen. But through God's great love and His unbounded grace we can extricate ourselves from this mortal level of thinking and quickly replace these mortal thoughts with spiritual ideas, which in turn will bring about whatever is good and right in our experience.
For healing there must be a clean, radical, and total mental break with the error that seems to be assailing us, even if it is deeply ingrained or feared or has been cherished in human thought for a long time. There is no gray area in Christlike thinking. It is clear-cut good, and does not excuse or tolerate error at all. It makes no compromise with mortal beliefs. And as we persevere and conform our thinking to the Christ, we will see these false beliefs, physical ailments, and unwanted traits of character disappear one by one. We will see more and more that mortal-based thinking is no part of our true identity as sons of God. There is no provision for false beliefs in true Christly spirituality.
As the Son of God, Christ Jesus dwelt on the highest spiritual level of thought. Spirituality was his natural state of being. As he went on his daily round, whether the setting was a wedding in Cana, a supper with his dear friends Mary and Martha, or a walk by the Galilean Sea, he turned the human situation into an opportunity to bring home some kind of spiritual lesson to bless and heal those around him. He kept his vision of perfect God and perfect man intact and pure. This immaculate spirituality resulted in his marvelous healing works.
Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, through her deep spirituality, perceived and proved that this Christlike understanding indeed reflected the only Mind—the Mind that is God. And that, in proportion as this Mind is accepted in human consciousness, it becomes a mighty force for good in daily living. It purifies character, heals the sick, raises the dying, and meets each human need. This she proved in bringing the Christ Science to the world.
So if we think someone or something needs to be changed in order to bring us physical healing or happiness, we can make more determined efforts to purify our own lives and maintain that spiritual level of thought where things are really "happening"; where God is pouring forth His abundant goodness to us and everyone, and where all activity is governed and directed by divine Mind; where nothing and nobody needs to be changed. Spiritual sense is a constant. It is the only capacity we have for knowing and discerning good. God maintains its perfection, beauty, and joy eternally.
Ye are not in the flesh,
but in the spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. . . .
For if ye live after the flesh,
ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
ye shall live. . . .
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God.
Romans 8:9, 13, 16
