One of the most common tendencies of mortals is to rest thought upon some past event in human experience or to anticipate some future happening, to look either forward or backward in the realm of time—backward, upon events unhappy as well as pleasurable, disastrous as well as successful, even finding a kind of morbid satisfaction in reviewing that which was evil and untoward in one's experience; forward, in anticipation of good or evil, of pleasure or pain, of joys to be shared and evils to be encountered. This tendency derives from the failure to find in the present that which satisfies the human heart—that something which brings a sense of lasting joy, that peace which passeth all understanding. Nothing could more completely prove the unreality of the so-called mortal mind than its proverbial restlessness.

Beneath this mental attitude lie certain fundamental errors, which are exposed through the spiritual understanding gained from the study of Christian Science. These errors spring from wrong concepts of Deity, of time and eternity, and from the personalizing of good and evil. That God is infinite Spirit, ever present and eternal, is a fact established firmly both in the teachings of the Bible and in Christian Science. That eternity is without beginning or end precludes the possibility that time has any existence apart from the erroneous concepts of mortal mind. Moreover, the infinite and eternal, considered in time or space, can have no standard of measurement. Therefore, the ever-present, the spiritual now, without past or future, is the eternal fact regarding all existence. Why, then, should mortals look either forward or backward, since both these tendencies connote that which has no existence apart from a false sense of experience? While past events may have had a place in human history, in reality, that is, with the real man, they have had no existence whatsoever. The real man, God's representative, coexistent and coeternal with Him, has no future and no past. He abides in the spiritual present, in the consciousness of the Father-Mother God.

Furthermore, since man's individuality and consciousness are reflections of the divine, as Mrs. Eddy assures us, man really possesses no state of consciousness apart from God, the source of all reality. And since infinite, eternal consciousness is conscious of all as eternally present, man, who as reflection has no consciousness unlike God, is conscious only of the eternal, the spiritual now. This presence of all reality in the eternal now was perfectly set forth by the Preacher. As rendered by a modern translator, the following verse reads (Ecclesiastes 3:15): "Whatever is, it has already been; whatever is to be, already is; and God is ever bringing back what disappears." This assurance of all good as existent in the spiritual present should stimulate mortals to explore the divine heritage of which man through reflection is ever in possession. In this way alone will one learn how rich he really is spiritually; what it means to be a child of God, a son of God, a joint heir with Christ.

Now what does such examination disclose? Nothing less than an abundance of good far beyond present capacity of comprehension. Man's present possession is a measureless heritage, infinite in its extent, eternal in its quality, everywhere present in its fullness, of which the human mind seems incapable of grasping more than an infinitesimal part.

For example, think for a moment of the possession of permanent health! The real man forever reflects the harmony which characterizes God's universe. And this mental state can never be invaded by any belief called sickness or sin; therefore harmony is permanent. Health is but the expression of that harmony in which each idea perfectly performs the functions for which it was created. Each spiritual idea is also in proper relative to all other ideas. Therefore, there can be no discord. All ideas remain under the government of divine law, which is invariable and ever operative. Health, then, is the primal and permanent state of man. This fact grasped in its true significance restores and establishes the true sense of health which mortals seem to lack.

Again, the sense of lack and limitation which so often confronts mortals is completely abolished when the facts of man's true heritage are grasped. Is man as God's idea limited in any sense? Is his power of expression confined or impaired by any divine decree? Man is God's manifestation, His representative, expressing perfect activity. Is it not folly, then, to believe that the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient Being, God, has made a limited creature to be His reflection, His likeness? Our Leader states the truth when she writes on page 183 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "Man is God's image and likeness; whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God's reflection." This understanding destroys all belief in man's limited capacity. What appears to mortals to be limited and incomplete results wholly from a lack of knowledge of man's nature and character, of what belongs to him as the son of God. As mortals grasp this situation and claim their divine right, limitations will disappear, and that in exact proportion to the clarity of their understanding.

Is there a seeming lack of supply? Is there want of the so-called necessities of life? Then, let us examine the situation scientifically to determine what the real need is. Can we conceive of the infinite Father-Mother God, who has bestowed upon man the divine abundance, as having omitted anything, or as withdrawing His beneficence? Would such a Father be infinitely good? Assuredly not! Then wherein lies the difficulty? Precisely in this: lack always and invariably results from failure to understand the character and presence of God and His relation to His offspring. The need, then, is for more spiritual understanding, for a larger grasp of man's true status as the son of God. Mrs. Eddy admirably sets this forth on page 307 of "Miscellaneous Writings" in these words: "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies." And she adds the gentle admonition and assurance, "Never ask for to-morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment." What words of encouragement! And from one who had proved their truthfulness on many occasions when stark want seemed to confront her! Christ Jesus also stated the case in precise terms. "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing," he declared, "ye shall receive."

What greater assurance could one desire than is expressed in these statements from Christ Jesus and our Leader? There remains only the need for putting them into effect. That is to say, we must do our work aright; and that work consists in righteous prayer, not in beseeching God to give us something He is withholding from us, but rather in claiming scientifically what is already our own, unlimited supply of good, of good that meets our every need. Moreover, since God is infinite and present everywhere, all His qualities are likewise present everywhere. There is no place where God and His infinite goodness are not present. All that God is, is expressed by man as God's reflection here and now and everywhere, and His perfection is manifested in our human experience in proportion to our understanding of this fact. What marvelous prospects are offered for him who through scientific exploration learns of his divine inheritance, available through righteous prayer forever, the spiritual now!

Copyright, 1935, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, One, Norway Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.