Article July 1, 1916 Issue

"The focus of ideas"

LAWRENCE THOMPSON

One sunny day, while watching a boy who was focusing the rays of the sun through a glass on to a piece of paper, the writer noted that the paper speedily began to smolder and was soon in flames. This simple occurrence brought to mind the statement of Mrs. Eddy on page 504 of Science and Health, that "the rays of infinite Truth, when gathered into the focus of ideas, bring light instantaneously, whereas a thousand years of human doctrines, hypotheses, and vain conjectures emit no such effulgence." Meditating upon these lines it becomes clear that the power of Truth, operating in human consciousness, can be effectively concentrated, and his eyes were opened to an error which may sometimes be responsible for failure, namely, lack of true humility, and consequently an unwillingness to undergo necessary mental discipline.

When we are faced with what appears to be a failure, instead of yielding to the suggestions of discouragement we should approach the problem scientifically and gather the rays of infinite Truth "into the focus of ideas." The student of Christian Science sooner or later learns the necessity for pressing on from belief to faith, and thence to spiritually scientific understanding. Spiritual understanding lifts thought above the material and shows us what reality means. Christian Science teaches that God is Mind, or Principle, and is manifested through His ideas. These ideas reflect the nature of God in life, truth, and love, and they are eternal, revealing the very presence of God, and consequently manifest divine power. St. John evidently knew this, for in the first chapter of his gospel we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

When "the rays of infinite Truth" are gathered into the focus of ideas and brought to bear on any material belief which declares a presence or power apart from God, the result is that the false belief loses the appearance of reality, because that from which it derived its support has been destroyed through the realization of the nature of true being, and it is discovered, as we are told on page 151 of Science and Health, that "all that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal."

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