It had been a difficult Wednesday with a number of business appointments that did not go well. I arrived home late for dinner, just an hour before our Christian Science church's Wednesday testimony meeting was to begin. Tired and discouraged, I expressed the thought to my wife, who is not a Christian Scientist, that "I might just stay home and take it easy." Her response was quick. "You know better than that. When you go, you leave the service inspired and rejuvenated, and besides, you have something to give—let's go." We got our dinner quickly, and then both of us went. After the meeting we returned home spiritually refreshed. I was grateful to have resisted the mesmeric suggestion that one can be too tired or discouraged to give of oneself or to reach out for a needed blessing.
When negative thoughts knock aggressively at the door of your consciousness, arguing that you don't want to attend a Wednesday testimony meeting or a Sunday church service, they need to be recognized for what they are—suggestions of worldly, carnal thinking, of so-called mortal mind. The arguments of the carnal, mortal mind can seem very convincing. But they're fraudulent because God, good, is really the only Mind, and man is the expression of divine Mind, governed by this Mind alone, not by false influences. Perceiving the reality of our identity as the spiritual reflection of Mind, together with maintaining that perception, takes prayer and watchfulness. It requires giving up matter-based thinking for spiritually based thinking. But the effort is well worth it and, ultimately, unavoidable.
The belief of life in matter and all it embraces would prevent us from understanding and demonstrating the whole Christ. The Christ, which Jesus presented so fully to humanity, is the divine influence at work in Christian healing. And Christ is able to save us from sickness and death, as well as from sin. Matter-based thinking would cut out of Christ's ministry, and therefore out of our lives, the physical healing that comes through spiritual means. The healing practice of Christian Science, however, restores our sense of completeness, of our wholeness as God's image and likeness. And this restoration includes the healing of sickness and disease as well as of sin.
