Article May 25, 1935 Issue

Supply and the Human Footsteps

ISRAEL PICKENS

In many places in her writings Mrs. Eddy mentions the importance of taking the human footsteps in the working out of one's salvation from false beliefs. For instance, on pages 253 and 254 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" she states, "The divine demand, 'Be ye therefore perfect,' is scientific, and the human footsteps leading to perfection are indispensable." And she adds: "God requires perfection, but not until the battle between Spirit and flesh is fought and the victory won. To stop eating, drinking, or being clothed materially before the spiritual facts of existence are gained step by step, is not legitimate."

The Christian Scientist relies with all his faith and understanding on the fact that God is the one source of supply, and that God supplies all needs. Someone, however, may in all sincerity ask the question, "If God, being Spirit, knows nothing about matter, how can we ask or expect God to supply us with human needs, such as money, food, or clothing?" This is a reasonable question, and it finds in Christian Science a perfectly clear answer. It is important, though, to understand at least in some measure what constitutes the so-called human needs. An individual goes out into the world to earn a living, to perform some act of service, and he recevies a check or currency for that service. The worker has given of his best efforts or talents towards some constructive accomplishment. This service in a right activity finds appreciation or gratitude on the part of the honest employer, who indicates such honesty and appreciation by paying for the service thus rendered. He may use for this purpose the usual medium of exchange, which we call money. Money, we know, is not substance, but is merely a symbol of value. The substance in this transaction is, first, the true idea of service that has been given; and, secondly, the true idea of grateful appreciation or honesty that recognizes the service. The intelligence which is expressed is an emanation from divine Mind. We learn in Christian Science that man is the image and likeness of God, Mind; hence he reflects divine intelligence. It is plain, then, that God is the source of supply of intelligence. We learn also that God furnishes the avenue of supply—the avenue in the above illustration being the spiritual attributes and qualities of intelligent activity and of honesty, appreciation, gratitude, as expressed in the consciousness of the worker and of the employer.

Humanity's needs are spiritual. What one really needs is not money, but freedom, security, peace, joy, and confidence. What an employee earns and receives is more than something material; it is the joy and satisfaction of a service rightly rendered, a freedom from anxious thought for the morrow, a right sense of honor in having the bills paid and a good name or reputation protected. He sets an example in just and honest dealing with his fellow men. Are not all these things expressive of Principle? Christian Science enables an employee to see that by these means he takes the right human footsteps towards the demonstration of the spiritual facts that God is Spirit, that man in His image and likeness is spiritual, and that man's needs are spiritual. Moreover, he is proving also that the avenues of supply are spiritual. The divine order of logic, or spiritual reasoning, is seen and understood and demonstrated as correct. In her book, "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," Mrs. Eddy has written (p. 349), "Inductive or deductive reasoning is correct only as it is spiritual, induced by love and deduced from God, Spirit; only as it makes manifest the infinite nature, including all law and supplying all the needs of man."

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