One Sunday, after having attended a Christian Science church service, I stopped at a large plaza near the church. I sat down on a bench and began to look at the beautiful green trees that surrounded the plaza. Then I saw a young man under a large tree doing physical exercises. He didn't seem at all concerned with the great number of people who were around him. I was impressed not only with his perseverance but also with the fact that he was perfectly dressed in his athletic gear for the activity.
I was interested, too, in the questions that came to mind while I continued to watch him. My questions, however, came in terms of spirituality. Am I as persistent and consistent as this man is in exercising my spiritual capacities and understanding of God that I'm gaining from my study of Christian Science? Am I suitably clothed in spiritual purity? I had to admit to myself that the answer to both questions was probably "no."
At that point I understood that in spite of having been acquainted with Christian Science for quite a long time and having been a church member, I wasn't doing all that I could to progress spiritually. When I was faced with a problem, I immediately got in touch with a Christian Science practitioner to help me. Now, there's nothing wrong with calling upon a practitioner for prayerful help. But I realized that I wasn't just calling for help; I was turning over the responsibility for spiritual progress and healing to the practitioner. I had been believing that someone else could do the "exercise" while I would reap the benefits.
Something a friend said to me caused me to think more carefully about this matter. He said that the work of a Christian Science practitioner is that of prayer, letting in the light of Christ, Truth, thus bearing witness to man as the spiritual image and likeness of God. But, he said, unless I, too, was striving to do this same work, I wouldn't be able to see clearly what my own true nature is as God's child. In fact, I realized, unless I myself was coming to understand more of man's real nature as God's idea and activity putting this into practice through the consistent and active spiritualization and Christianization of my own life, I wouldn't be advancing much beyond the barren premises of mere faith healing.
Right away I associated spiritual exercise with spiritual sense, man's capacity to understand God and to respond wholly to His direction of our lives. This spiritual sense itself is not dormant. We have it, and we must discover it and actively use it.
I had an experience during this time that really awakened me to the spiritual sense of God's creation and to profound gratitude to our heavenly Father for Christ Jesus and for Christian Science, this revelation of Truth as ever present and of God as man's Life. I was waiting for a bus in a tourist resort near the sea. The place was nearly deserted since it was winter and it was raining. I found myself conscious of these words: "Up to now, it has been I; but now you must take responsibility." It was almost as if a person nearby was talking to me. But there was no one around, and I realized that it was the inner voice or influence of Christ, Truth, directing me to exercise my own spiritual capacities.
From that moment I didn't seem to receive any more obvious benefits from Christian Science until I was willing to work directly and consistently to bring my life into accord with Truth. I realized from then on that even when I did call upon a practitioner for help—sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't — I needed to be active in my own prayer and study and not feel that I could turn responsibility over to someone else. Furthermore, I came to see that this spiritual exercise is actually the recognition of the absolute power of Truth which heals, and an equal recognition that evil in any form has no real power, because it has nothing of God's law to sustain it.
Christ Jesus is our model in life. He put into practice — exercised — better than anyone else the truth given to him by his Father, and the Master shows us how to do our own "exercise." Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "Jesus established what he said by demonstration, thus making his acts of higher importance than his words." Science and Health, p. 473. She also writes, "Jesus demonstrated the inability of corporeality, as well as the infinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science." ibid., p. 494. Our active seeking of safety in divine Science is the best exercice available. It frees us from the material beliefs that would enslave to sin and disease and reveals our true nature as Godlike. This isn't something that we can turn over to others to do for us — and we wouldn't want to! It's a firsthand benefit, and that's how we want to experience it — for ourselves.
What is our dress for such exercise? The New Testament letter to the Colossians describes perfectly our "workout gear": "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved . . . mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering ." Col. 3:12.
Let's begin to exercise now! The aim isn't a more outwardly beautiful or a more muscular physique, which of themselves may indicate little of true health or beauty, but rather a clear, spiritual sense and a greater and more elevated love that includes all humanity and that will be reflected in us outwardly in practical works of healing and regeneration.
