Are we attempting, with God’s help or without, to build a grand and noble life? Or are we allowing the excellence of the life God has already given us to appear? Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures states, “We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 248).
Growing up in Christian Science, I read that statement and ran with it. I thought, “Fantastic! Not only do I want a grand and noble life, but if I focus on the life I want, I’ll get it.” You might say I read what I wanted to hear.
In my defense I was not completely off course. Mrs. Eddy’s statement does highlight the fact that living “grand and noble lives” is not only attainable, it’s a right desire. That said, my all too quickly deduced conclusion allowed for two mistakes: first, putting a false sense of human accomplishment in place of listening for and doing God’s will; and second, working to attain something I had never lost—and could never lose.
