Article October 23, 1920 Issue

Abundance

MARY E. ARMSTRONG

If we carefully examine the reason for the world unrest of to-day, especially the manifestation of labor strikes, we must unmistakably trace it all to one source, lack or the fear of lack, and all because of the belief that money is substance,—whereas the only possible lack there is, or can be, is lack of the understanding of God. As Christian Scientists we are commanded to go "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," and to "heal the sick." Lack is a very sick belief, the thought of limiting God. Here, then, is work we all can do; but before we can heal the world we must heal every trace of lack suggesting itself as our own consciousness, and obey the command, "Physician, heal thyself," before we can help others.

Since God is true substance and is omnipresent, then what and where is lack? Lack and the allness of God are incompatible. If all is Mind, then our supply must be in Mind. If God is infinite Mind and man is the idea in that Mind, then nothing and no one can limit or control the amount or quality of our thinking or prevent us thinking infinitely and perfectly. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy says (p. 13), "Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals." This shows us clearly that our abundance or poverty all depends upon our own reliance on the one loving, divine Principle.

Right thinking or thinking in accord with Christian Science, reflecting God infinitely, is the most profitable business that one can be engaged in, and the one that brings quickest and surest returns. If our right thinking is abundant we shall manifest abundance. Abundance and infinity are qualities of God and are to be reflected by man in his thinking, which is the only way we can reflect them. Then they manifest themselves outwardly in abundant supply for every human need. But we must be quite sure that our thinking is in accord with Christian Science practice and with what we are taught in our textbook. Mrs. Eddy tells us on page 258 of Science and Health that "man reflects infinity, and this reflection is the true idea of God." Lack is not a quality of God, so that if we are manifesting lack we are not reflecting God. In a beautiful passage on page 3 we read, "The Divine Being must be reflected by man,—else man is not the image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One 'altogether lovely;' but to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire." Perfection lacks nothing; therefore we see that abundance is not a question of material income but a question of abundant and perfect thinking. Jesus everywhere denounces material riches founded on material thinking. As students of Christian Science, we never have any excuse for manifesting lack. Mrs. Eddy's works are full of help on this question, and if with the concordances we look up the words "need" and "supply" we shall never have any doubt as to the source of all supply.

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