How often have we decided on making a fresh start? We may seize the new year as an opportunity to set resolutions, or we may formulate new goals on a regular basis. Perhaps the prospect of a new job or a promotion has motivated us to set goals for improving ourselves. But when we select goals, what is the basis of our thinking? If it is the assumption that we need more than—or need to rearrange —what God has already provided for man, we may be implying that God's work is insufficient. We may be thinking that we should concentrate our efforts on adding to what God has failed to give us, or even believing that we are not in a position where we can readily avail ourselves of God's goodness and power. Actually, no matter how frequently we set new goals, there is always a Christianly scientific basis on which we can formulate them and work toward their fulfillment.
The truth is that God's creation— including man—is already established; it is perfect and complete. The Bible tells us that God created man in His own image and that God's entire creation is good. According to the first chapter of Genesis, "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Gen. 1:31. This view of creation is the only truly scientific view of God and man. It includes one infinite, incorporeal God and one reflection, man and the universe. Being spiritual, not material, God's man can reflect only qualities of good from his Maker.
Goals that we set for ourselves based on this view of God and man are practical. We can prove the relationship between God and man in our daily living. When we pray to see more of what God has already given us, we remove the need to look away from God—to personal aims or our own efforts—to rectify what appears to be out of adjustment. This acknowledgment of the true status of God and man is not just a hopeful rehearsal of truths; it is a higher and more spiritual vision. This new view helps us keep our aims aligned with the laws of God, Principle.
