A tightrope walker balances on the tightrope, holding the bar firmly in his hands. He steadies his step by looking above the bar, not under. Beaming with delight, the skilled athlete performs with focus, agility. This bar represents a standard for performance; keeping his gaze above it, not under it, the performer is able to keep his balance and mental poise.
I’ve found there’s a spiritual lesson in that approach: To gain a truer understanding of reality, we need to look up, Godward, rather than down to matter. In Genesis, we read, “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters” (1:6). Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy interprets this verse spiritually: “Spiritual understanding, by which human conception, material sense, is separated from Truth, is the firmament” (p. 505). From God, Spirit, Truth, we all have an inherent spiritual sense, a clear sense of divine guidance and spiritual understanding.
This sense helps us to divide truth from error, spiritual fact from material fiction. And this spiritualization of thought opens our consciousness to the light of Truth, filling us with joy and proving our dominion over the mesmeric material senses.
