Article July 22, 1905 Issue

How to Solve Life's Problems

H. L. BROADBRIDGE.

The world seems to be united on one all-important question, though it has searched in many avenues for a solution to the stubborn problem which has absorbed the time and attention of the ablest and wisest men through all ages; namely, how to improve the world and bring about a universal condition of health, harmony, and happiness. Philosophers have thought, educators have taught, scientists have speculated, doctors have drugged, ministers have prayed labor has organized, states have framed bills and passed laws, nations have gone to war, while poets have put into song the loftiest ideal,—all to aid in bettering the condition of the human race. This is truly a noble purpose, for which every laborer will receive his reward, but at this time we are being forced to ask the question: "Has this energy and effort accomplished its purpose, and has the world grown better, does it fulfil the expectations of the longing hearts who yearn for freedom from their mental, physical, and financial slavery?" To the question: Has the world grown better? History answers, Yes. In reviewing the history of every hundred years we find a gradual improvement. The world has been turning very slowly from the material to the spiritual, but it is gradually awakening to the great fact that in God and His promises alone can be found the correct solutions of the all-important problem of human progress.

Christ Jesus stands conspicuous as the wisest philosopher, profoundest thinker, deepest scientist, most successful physician, most practical social economist, the purest and most consistent Christian; and after years of study, research, and observation, coupled with the practical application in his daily life of all he had learned, he summed up the entire situation, and gave its solution in the following words: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Evidently the world cannot or does not grasp the meaning of this simple prescription, for it seeks relief in every other way. The world acts as if Jesus meant the reverse of this statement, for men seek first to supply their earthly needs,—it may be their education, business, pleasure, wealth, happiness, or health. These they strive to gain with the diligence and persistency with which they are commanded to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Not a few would be ready to accept the kingdom of God if it could be attained with but little effort on their part; this, however, can never be done, as the kingdom of God is not a place or location, but a condition of consciousness, for we read in the Scriptures, "The kingdom of God is realized when one submits to the control of Spirit, and lives in perfect harmony with divine Principle, and knows that good, and good alone, governs man.

To seek first this kingdom is to let Truth reign upon the throne of one's thoughts so that sin and sickness will be banished from our consciousness, and this seeking means more than reading the Bible or going to church. It is seeking to know God's will and striving to do it, keeping ourselves pure and spotless before the world, giving Him our first service and love, seeking not our own will but His, even at the expense of all earthly friends and possessions, and in proportion to the degree that we do this, to that degree are we solving life's problems scientifically, obeying the universal law of Love and harmony; and this is, indeed, realizing the kingdom of God. Striving means that we will bend all our energy, ambition, and desire to live the life of love. This honest, earnest effort on part will enable us to come boldly to the throne of grace, and claim the promise which can never fail, that all things "shall be added unto" us,—health, happiness, success in every way; and it will also bring us the peace of God which passeth all human understanding.

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