Article November 15, 1919 Issue

"A highway for our God"

AMANDA COLBATH

Now that the construction of public highways is occupying so large a place in the world regard, it is an opportune time to ponder the question of highways and consider some of its aspects from a metaphysical point of view. If one's mental work is to be effective, it must be based on what the work represents and includes. Material road building abounds in illustrations which are applicable to the incidents of human experience. Some realization of what it means came to the writer recently while motoring over one of the scenic highways of the Northwest. She was impressed with the grandeur of the scenery, and her thought went out to the motive which had prompted the building of this road over deep ravines and around rugged cliffs of solid rock. There were more accessible routes which could have been taken; but these would not have passed by a broad expanse of water which a river afforded below, and had the cliffs been avoided the numerous waterfalls flowing over them would not have been brought to view. It was obvious that the route had been taken which would give the traveler the best outlook on the surrounding country, regardless of the difficulties which would be encountered in building the road. The engineer evidently did not hesitate to select the most beautiful locations when laying out the work, because he understood the fundamentals of engineering which would enable him to accomplish the task.

The individual who maps out his way through the wilderness of human belief in accordance with divine Science, giving no reality to the difficulties he may encounter in reaching the high goal of spiritual understanding, inevitably gains entrance to an understanding of infinite power. The student of Christian Science has chosen the most scenic way; for the instant the truth begins to dawn in thought, a view of human experience is obtained that proves its unreality. Having once learned the unreality of material existence, mortals begin to rise above the clouds of material sense, and from the heights of exalted thought catch glorious glimpses of the grand realities of the spiritual universe. Then they can no longer be deceived by any material outlook, but can pass through the experiences of material belief and retain the vision which transcends mortal view. Before the Bible passages were illumined through the discovery of Christian Science by Mrs. Eddy, mortals did not know how to value the lessons which human experience should teach. Not having sufficient demonstrable understanding of the Bible to prove the existence and practicability of divine law, they lost sight of the desired destination in time of trial and became engulfed in the evidence of the senses. On page 597 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy defines wilderness as "loneliness; doubt; darkness;" and also as "spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence."

One of the noteworthy features of material road building is the fact that it is always accompanied by the necessity to go forward and remove everything which will impede progress. The mental or spiritual journey out of material sense is no exception to this rule. Because man is subject to every right demand of God, he is liable at any time to be called upon to express a higher sense of Truth. As he encounters the obstacles which the overcoming of materialism brings, the temptation may come to turn back, or at least stand still,—that is, to rest in a present understanding of Truth. It is impossible, however, for an individual to rest in contentment and peace with an unsolved problem before him for which he is seeking a right solution. Truth has much to reveal to us, and nothing less than the vision of Truth that progress brings to view will satisfy the traveler journeying out of material sense.

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