Article May 14, 1927 Issue

Lights in the World

NELLIE B. MACE

There is one definite mission for all followers of Christ Jesus. The Master designated this mission when he said: "Ye are the light of the world. ... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." When one first becomes interested in the spiritual truths which Jesus revealed, and which Christian Science illumines, it seems very wonderful to think that henceforth one is going to be a light in the world; and with new enthusiasm one looks forward to what he thinks is going to be an experience of increasing harmony, both for himself and for all those around him. At this point, however, one does not so fully realize as he will later on, that this new mission, this spiritual plan, is to lead thought out of the false sense of material pleasure, as well as of material pain, that one's concepts of existence are to be purged of whatever mortal sense regards as real, and that material beliefs are thus to be reduced until purified consciousness stands alone and satisfied with God and the universe of spiritual ideas.

Nothing, indeed, could be more wonderful than to stand so allied with divine Mind that consciousness is aware of nothing but holy harmony; and such is the true status of the spiritual man's present and continuous existence. But nothing could be more destructive to mistaken views than is this scientific process of eliminating material concepts; and suffering sense regards this as sacrifice. It is during this period of readjustment, of turning in all particulars from the unreal to the real, that temptation sometimes suggests a sense of weariness, of suspension of interest, and of stark and unspeakable loneliness. And right here is where one needs to remind himself of his earlier enthusiasm, when he glimpsed the mission that is to be his, that is to make him a light in the world.

When one begins to feel weary of the struggle which mortal sense seems always to impose, and which as a new student one did not at all expect, it is well to take a fresh look at what it is he is to accomplish, in order to perfect his own part in the great plan of existence. He is simply to reflect spiritual light—nothing more, nothing less. This he must achieve sometime, somewhere, that he may do his individual part in extinguishing the entire belief that there is any darkness of materiality to hide the glory of real Being. The darkness of mortal sense cannot be wholly obliterated unless and until each one of "the children of light" is doing his proper work of shining; for there cannot be left one single point of darkness in the full demonstration of spiritual light.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Lights in the World

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access