A friend of mine told me about a dream he had. He was in the Swiss Alps getting ready to lead a large group of Boy Scouts on a hike. The morning of the hike he looked around at the group and saw that they were all very busy organizing their packs, checking supplies, and examining maps. He, meanwhile, was completely overcome by the scenery—by the splendor of the mountains and the extremely beautiful surroundings. He began trying to draw their attention to it, but they were all so occupied with their packs that he simply couldn't get them to listen let alone take in and appreciate where they actually were! Finally, he blew his whistle and scolded them for being so engrossed in the details and logistics of the hike that they were missing out on the whole point of being in such a splendid place.
He felt so frustrated in this dream that he woke up with a start. Awakened, he said to himself, "Here I am, living in the kingdom of heaven right now, as God's child. Am I acting as if I really am? Or am I so distracted by the human sense of existence that I'm losing sight of spiritual reality and behaving like a mortal, rather than the immortal man God created?"
Christian Science helps us to see that there is only one creation. This one creation is the outcome of God, Spirit, and is therefore entirely spiritual, not material as we tend to believe it is. Man is included in this spiritual creation and is God's reflection—His image and likeness—immortal, not mortal. God's government of the universe is harmonious and perfectly ordered. All of his offspring are satisfied and good.
Why does this spiritual existence sometimes seem so far from reality when it actually is the reality? Could it be that we are so busy with our "packs, maps, and preparations" that we are missing the spiritual view of reality that is accessible to us right now? Christ Jesus was certainly not surrounded by a vision of paradise! Yet, because of his spiritual understanding of God's presence, wherever he was men, women, and children felt to a degree the kingdom of heaven, and they were healed, reformed. In Science and Health Mary Baker Eddy describes Kingdom of Heaven, in part, as "the reign of harmony in divine Science." Science and Health, p. 590. The mission of Jesus was not only to heal and to save but to make known this spiritual reign for all time—to awaken mankind to spiritual truth.
It is possible to perceive something of this spiritual reality and feel God's presence wherever we are, whatever we happen to be doing, when we keep our spiritual sense acute. We do this through prayer. Prayer in which we affirm God's ever-presence, acknowledge Him as the origin of all that is, and deny the belief in another creation, apart from Him, helps bring spiritual reality into view. The Master taught, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matt. 6:6.
Just how do we do this? What is this "[entering] into thy closest" and "[shutting] thy door"? There are many ways to pray, of course. Prayer is individual, and inspired by God. Yet prayer should always spiritualize our consciousness, purify it through a clearer sense of God's power and love. We mentally draw close to God by closing the door of thought on the clamor of materialism, acknowledging His allness and goodness and denying that there is an existence apart from Him. We wholeheartedly welcome thoughts of a spiritual nature and mentally dismiss those thoughts that would suggest a power or presence other than God.
This is surely a discipline. We get better at it as we practice. It is not something to be put off to a later time. We will not be better at it when the children are grown, when we have found a better home or job, or when we are healed of a particular disease. As we keep spiritual reality active in our thought, our view of good, of reigning harmony, becomes more distinct, while evil, disease, sin, instability, discord, and even death become less impressive and eventually lose their seeming hold over our thought. We feel God's presence, and we see more clearly His expression all around. We find ourselves thinking and behaving more in accord with His nature. We know He is right with us at all times! It becomes more natural to consult with Him freely and to listen for divinely detailed answers. Certainly no form of sin can last as we realize that we are right in the presence of God and are governed by Him.
The comfort we find through realizing the power of His wisdom, purity, and goodness fills us with love and replaces the emptiness that would make us feel separated from God—that would make us believe we could somehow step away from His goodness. The realization of God's ever-presence must surely have inspired the Psalmist when he wrote: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." Ps. 139:7-10.
Recently I was preparing to go away with my family on a weekend trip. The day before we were to leave I suddenly felt ill, and the thought of packing and organizing all the details for the trip made me feel worse. The trip meant a lot to one of our children, and it seemed right not only for me to be there but to be well and free to take part. I began to pray, but my prayers felt stale, ineffective, and full of effort. Then I remembered the dream my friend had about the hikers. I recalled that although the hikers might not have been aware of where they were, it didn't change the fact that they were in those beautiful mountains. I realized that although it might appear I was struggling to feel God's presence and care, I was nevertheless in that care, in His healing presence right then and there. I knew that a foggy, sluggish, human view couldn't possibly alter or have any effect on the spiritual fact that I was in the kingdom of heaven always. As quickly as this realization came to me, I was free from all symptoms of illness.
Just a glimpse of God's presence is powerful. Mrs. Eddy writes in the chapter called "Prayer" in Science and Health, "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter,—and the body will then utter no complaints." Science and Health, p. 14.
Accompanying this healing was the realization that the spiritual consciousness called for in healing is actually included in man's identity as a complete spiritual idea, as the reflection of divine Mind. Man is not only sinless and perfect but also entirely conscious of this spiritual fact! What would keep us right now from admitting the present perfection of man is nothing but a false sense—a lie. Science and Health says, "Corporeal sense, or error, may seem to hide Truth, health, harmony, and Science, as the mist obscures the sun or the mountain; but Science, the sunshine of Truth, will melt away the shadow and reveal the celestial peaks." Ibid., p. 299.
"Here I am, living in the kingdom of heaven right now, as God's child. Am I acting as if I really am? Or am I so distracted by the human sense of existence that I'm losing sight of spiritual reality."
The prayer that keeps thought spiritually aware of divine reality keeps us from being distracted by a false sense of existence and enables us to experience the kingdom of heaven on earth, not only some other time or in some other place—but right now.
