Article August 31, 1929 Issue

[Original article in German]

Desire and Achievement

SELMA WARDA

AMONG the many blessings which Christian Science brings to every sincere seeker after Truth is the recognition of the unity of right desire and right achievement, the true desire in which achievement is potentially included. In his exposure of the so-called carnal mind's suggestions, Paul's lament in his epistle to the Roman, "To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not," has no doubt been echoed by many who have felt the love of good, but have not yet learned how to achieve it in practice. How much effort in every sphere of human experience has been seemingly unsuccessful, and how many have come face to face with the ruins of their hopes! And yet we read in Philippians, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." But why, some may ask, does not God bring about achievement in every case?

Christian Science answers this question by explaining the spiritual law of all real cause and effect. It shows us that right achievement by the individual is dependent primarily on right desire—desire which differs fundamentally from what mankind understands by desire, and from the basis and nature of many of our former enterprises. On page 597 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy defines "will" in its highest metaphysical sense as "the might and wisdom of God." In contradistinction to this she defines in the same passage the so-called human will as "the motivepower of error; mortal belief; animal power."

Hence it is necessary to know whether it is God's will or false mortal will which we are applying to our problems in daily life. Is human ambition the motive behind our work, our undertakings; is our aim financial gain? Are we trying to fight competition? Are we working to enable ourselves later on to live, care-free, in material comfort? In other words, are we governed by merely material aims and purposes, thinking that to attain them any material ways and standards are good enough? If we cannot answer these questions with a decided "No," we should not, as is so often done, regard God as responsible for our lack of success.

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