Article June 24, 1933 Issue

The Kingdom of Heaven

[Written Especially for Children]

RUTH R. WESLER

"WHERE is heaven?" a little boy asked, and he was insistent for an answer. His mother, who was just beginning the study of Christian Science, turned to the Bible and to our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. In the Glossary of the textbook (p. 587) she found "heaven" defined as "harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul." And in the Bible she read, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." This seemed hard for the little one to understand, as his former Sunday school training had given him the impression that heaven is a place located far away, too remote and out of reach to think of his getting there for a long, long time.

Jesus said that the kingdom of God, or heaven, is within you. What did he mean? Jesus always told the truth; but how could heaven be in anyone? Again the mother sought guidance, and like Solomon she prayed for "an understanding heart." She looked up all the references about heaven in the Bible and our Leader's writings, and was rewarded with a new understanding so clear that she could make the little questioner see that heaven is harmony in each one's own thinking. He saw that when he reflected kind, loving, peaceful, and joyous thoughts from divine Love, he was having heaven within him, because he was expressing good and thus expressing harmony to all about him; but that if he thought cross, peevish, hateful, or sad thoughts, they would shut out heaven for the time being—that is, until his thoughts changed from false to true thoughts. So, the kingdom of heaven must be guarded.

In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 8) we read, "Simply count your enemy to be that which defiles, defaces, and dethrones the Christ-image that you should reflect." The Christ-image is the true idea of God which Christ Jesus revealed, and which can be known only in our thoughts. Some of the dictionary definitions of the words "defile," "deface," and "dethrone" are, respectively, "soil," "mar," and "depose, or put out." We do not wish to soil or mar the true idea or put it out of our consciousness; in fact, it cannot be marred, banished, or in any way changed, because it is eternal and ever present. But if we are not watchful, we may seem to forget the truth, and then error, or that which is not true, seems to come in its place and heaven, harmony, to disappear from our thinking.

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