Editorial January 19, 1918 Issue

A Day's Journey

Annie M. Knott

In olden times it was customary to speak of the distance between one place and another as a day's journey, or it might be three days' journey. This of course meant the progress made by an individual or even a large number of persons traveling on foot. In modern times we are accustomed to speak of a day's work, but in either case we think of actual progress made in a given direction. In the book of Job we have a gloomy outline of human possibilities which culminates in this sad pronouncement: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble." Little wonder that the text goes on to speak of mortal man as one whose only outlook is to "accomplish, as an hireling, his day."

A modern hymn writer gives a higher tone to hope when she speaks of each stage of our earthly journey as "a day's march nearer home;" and it is surely well to learn how we can make every day count for so much that there will be no sorrowful retracing of steps and no barren regrets for wasted opportunities. In the second epistle of Peter we read: "Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." The psalmist also says of God, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand." We cannot deny that it is our high privilege as children of the perfect Father to spend all our days with Him, and thus in applying the spiritual law of progression to make one day accomplish more for our own welfare and that of all mankind that a thousand days, yes, or even a thousand years.

Mrs. Eddy gives us an explanation of the passage quoted from the second epistle of Peter when she says (Science and Health, p. 504): "The rays of infinite Truth, when gathered into the focus of ideas, bring light instantaneously, whereas a thousand years of human doctrines, hypotheses, and vague conjectures emit no such effulgence." While under a stressful sense of present human conditions we may often ask ourselves when the long dark night will end; and as we turn to the words of Christ Jesus for illumination we find that the same query was addressed to him, but his only reply was, "Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." We should not, however, forget that he added, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."

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