Article January 29, 1916 Issue

True Progress

SADIE KIEKINTVELD

In order to progress in any line of work one must first have a firm conviction of the desirability of that for which he is striving, a conviction strong enough to keep him working persistently, to lead him to meet obstacles bravely and overcome discouragement cheerfully. Moreover, he should have the expectation of final success.

When the desire for progress engenders so many admirable qualities, it seems a pity that the end in view should so often be found worthless and disappointing. The average mortal may be surprised, and probably disappointed, when he is told that the only true progress is spiritual. He may have had a half acknowledged belief that to serve God means to lead a life which is limited, hard, and cold, while to the worldly-minded come freedom and success; for, as in the case of Christ Jesus, error still flaunts the delusive promise of the gift of all the kingdoms of this world to those who will fall down and worship it, and it still uses the present faulty attempts of God's children as arguments against the faultless work of divine Love. Mistaken opinions like this account for much of the wavering and faint-hearted adherence to religion, while secular matters claim the best of their energies and the utmost devotion. Many are not sure that religion is really worth while.

Should not the very injustice of this argument quickly show that it is one of error's devices? Goodness and power are synonymous. One's power increases as he grows in righteousness. There is no limit to the power and goodness of God, and the closer one lives to God the more he grasps of dominion over the earth. Every vision of beauty, harmony, freedom, abundance, peace, and purity that comes to one in his best moments, is an intimation of the full realization of the good which is even now unfolding with ever increasing power in human experience. When we realize that God is good, that God is Love, that He is the "rewarder of them that diligently seek him," this affirmation of truth lessens and must finally overthrow the seeming power of error.

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Spiritual Strength
January 29, 1916
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