Driving across the state awhile back, I was struck by just how many bridges there were. I drove over them quickly and with ease. But two hundred years ago, the canyon I passed over in a few minutes probably took a stagecoach several days to traverse.
As I drove, a sentence written by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health came to thought. It talks about a different kind of bridge: "One moment of divine consciousness, or the spiritual understanding of Life and Love, is a foretaste of eternity. This exalted view, obtained and retained when the Science of being is understood, would bridge over with life discerned spiritually the interval of death, and man would be in the full consciousness of his immortality and eternal harmony, where sin, sickness, and death are unknown." Science and Health, p. 598. This exalted view is not man-made —not concrete, wood, or iron; it is an inspired, glorious vision that originates in the Most High. This pure, perfect understanding of God is a bridge that is indestructible and available to all.
If our view of God and man involves a mingling of good and bad, it is erroneous and leads us up and down difficult mountains and valleys. The Bible points us to the correct view of God and of man as His pure image, or child. God doesn't resemble humans. God is not even a superhuman who loves a lot; God is Love itself. And as His offspring, we are actually the expression of Love, including loveliness and purity. Through the Science of Christ, we receive this true view of God and man, maintain it in thought, are able to live it daily, and so make smoother, more rapid progress. Understanding man's true identity as the emanation of God, we are able more consistently to follow Christ Jesus.
