Ever hear the one about the farmer who practiced lifting his 2,000-pound cow every day? When asked how he could lift so heavy an animal, he answered thoughtfully, "Well, I started when she was just a few days old."
To me, that little anecdote is more than clever. It points to an ability we all have to build spiritual muscle so that when we need to, we can handle what otherwise might seem to be impossible weights. For instance, every day we can practice putting off fears about mortality and aging. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "We must realize the ability of mental might to offset human misconceptions and to replace them with the life which is spiritual, not material." Science and Health, p. 428.
We've all known people who are active even in advanced age. And perhaps we've known others who seldom venture out of their homes because they think they have no purpose. What can account for these two approaches to living? Doesn't it often have to do with how individuals think of themselves? It's especially important, then, to consider the real nature of identity.
