Article January 23, 1909 Issue

POSSESSION AND UTILIZATION

KATHERINE PUFFER.

As with every other phase of human thought, the sense of possession undergoes a change when we learn through Christian Science the spiritual facts of being. In mortal existence the prevailing desire is to possess—and the popular estimate of a successful career is governed by a man's possessions, by the wealth he has accumulated. But, as thought turns to contemplate existence from a spiritual and not a material standpoint, we learn that God is All, and all belongs to God—that, as the psalmist sang, "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." We also learn that man possesses only as he reflects or utilizes divine realities, and no longer prays with the motive of gaining something but with the desire to be Godlike, to possess only the consciousness of true being, for he knows that all things are already his as God's image, and therefore the desire to possess gives place to an earnest effort to utilize the divine power or law which when understood becomes operative in human consciousness to heal, to enrich, and to bless.

Mrs. Eddy says in "No and Yes" (p. 39), "Prayer is the utilization of the love wherewith He loves us." Jesus said to one who desired to follow him, "The Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Yet he was the richest man that ever trod the globe, for his wealth was in his ability to utilize man's true possessions. When called upon to render tribute to Cæsar, he told Peter to take the needed money from the mouth of a fish, and when he wished to feed the multitude he furnished a bountiful repast by utilizing the divine law of supply. When called upon to heal the sick and the sinning, he utilized the ever-operative law of Life.

In mathematics we possess a knowledge of the basic law only as we are able to use it or make use of it; likewise in music the law of harmony remains unknown to us until we understand and apply it. This is equally true of the Science of being, or Christian Science; we possess just what we use or apply, we know only what we prove. There is no teaching of Christian Science that tells us to strive to possess in the sense of seeking earthly possessions, but through the study of the text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, we are enabled to begin to utilize the law of man's being; in other words, by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (right thinking), "all these things" are added unto us.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

POSSESSION AND UTILIZATION

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access