A Lesson by the Way

This bright, beautiful morning I was sitting by my parlor window, with my Science and Health in my lap. I had just been reading some beautiful thoughts in our new edition, when on looking up my attention was directed to a vase of roses in the window. The vase is a very large, clear glass vase, and I noticed that the outside view was reflected in the lower part of the vase. I was looking at the view with admiration, when a child passed and I saw two little girls just alike in the vase. On looking out of the window I was surprised to see only one, and that one going in the opposite direction from what it seemed as I looked through the vase, and the vase showed everything upside down. I watched spellbound for a while, with thoughts coming fast, — this was such a good illustration of mortal mind.

When we accept the evidence of the senses, we are deceived, just as much as in the illustration of the vase, for mortal mind presents just the opposite of the truth, and then tries to mesmerize us into believing it is the truth.

One may be a member of the church and be a regular attendant, pay his dues, give nice testimonies, seem very pleasant, and yet not seem to make any growth. The senses would say, "That man is a good man; why does he not grow?" The secret is he does not get down to earnest striving for that consciousness of Love which drives self out of thought, — selfish motives, self-will, self-condemnation, self-justification, self-exaltation, self-glory, self-indulgence, self-love. Self always wars against spirituality and our progress upward and onward.

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Christian Science, its Place and Work
July 31, 1902
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