Article July 30, 1984 Issue

At home in the kingdom of heaven

MARJORIE MACARTNEY

When we invite a guest to our home, we do all we can to care for him or her in the most loving way. We can depend on God to do the same for us when we seek our home in Him, because God is divine Love itself. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy gives this comforting assurance: "Pilgrim on earth, thy home is heaven; stranger, thou art the guest of God."^{Science and Health, p. 254.}

Love being omnipotent, infinite, our Father-Mother God has unending means with which to assure our comfort, nourishment, harmony, and peace. We feel "at home" in the kingdom of God, "heaven," which Mrs. Eddy defines in the textbook, Science and Health, as "harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul."^{Ibid., p. 587.}

Christ Jesus assured us that our heaven is not outside of us, not a geographical location "up there" or "out there" somewhere. "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you,"^{Luke 17:21.} he declared. Then, it is not out of reach or sight. It is within our spiritual consciousness.