Reality is Power

Violet Ker Seymer

On page 353 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes, "Perfection underlies reality." The verity of being is the harmony of being, and by means of Christian Science we can grasp this verity and experience this harmony. Throughout the world-wide Field of Christian Science there is mounting evidence of the reality and power of life and health made available to humanity through the understanding of spiritual being.

Yet too often the effort of the student centers on fathoming the unreality of evil rather than on grasping with rejoicing the reality of good. And because this effort is mainly negative, it is not fully successful. To offset this, one should continually recall, and suitably recount, cases of healing where sin has yielded to right-mindedness, sickness to health, sorrow to comfort, and lack to abundance. Recognition of these examples of healing, regardless of who experiences the healings, invigorates the faith of those who are moving on to victory through the smoke of battle. The more readily such as these dwell upon the reality and power of good, the more readily do they grasp and prove the nothingness of the discord which seems to confront them. On the rock of spiritual understanding there is secure foothold for all.

In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 252) Mrs. Eddy declares that "right thoughts are reality and power; wrongthoughts are unreality and powerless, possessing the nature of dreams." Who would fear a dream? Students of Christian Science entertain a host of right thoughts; but do they remember that it is also their duty to rejoice and trust in the potency of their own true thinking derived from the one Mind? Or do they, on occasions, fear false beliefs and undestroyed fears more than they trust in the potency of every thought imbued with Truth? False beliefs, having no contact with divine Principle, have no contact with power. And true thoughts, being linked with Truth, are untrammeled by evil suggestions. Therefore each student must feel convinced of the intrinsic power of every true thought he sincerely entertains.

If the healing power of divine Mind is real and potent for anyone, it is real and potent for everyone, every moment, in every situation. It does not bless some and leave others unblessed. Nor does it bless at one time and not at another time. This being so, one must definitely cease taking a personal, physical, or doubtful view of any problem. The healing power of God is impartial, and entirely unaffected by the supposed magnitude or long duration of any human problem. Reality is spiritual, unalterable, supreme, provable. Whoever gains faith in real spiritual power automatically gives up his fictitious faith in the obduracy of discord.

In "Unity of Good" (p. 53) our Leader writes, "The reality and individuality of man are good and God-made, and they are here to be seen and demonstrated; it is only the evil belief that renders them obscure." Being real, life and health are also everlasting. We are not confronted with any actual foe, for God, the supreme Friend of man, constitutes the only presence and the only power. There is, in reality, no forlorn mortal, handicapped by fear, ignorance, or sin, for God is All-in-all, and in this allness of Spirit man abides. Spirit, together with its creation, is permanent, and "without him was not any thing made that was made."

Then what have we to combat? Only the belief in many minds and perishable substance; the belief in separation from omnipresent Love; the belief in blind material sense, to which unreality seems real and reality unreal, or at least unavailable and impracticable. This claim of mental darkness is to be refuted, together with all the ghostly beliefs of which it is constituted. Where is mental darkness in infinite Mind? Where is material belief in infinite Spirit? Where are dreamer and dream? Where do we find any actual evil presence in the omnipresence of good? Where in infinite Spirit do we find any matter? Where in spiritual understanding do we find misunderstanding and ignorance?

Every student of Christian Science recalls winning some victory over error through his individual application of this Science. With some it may have been a very small victory—just a wrong thought corrected or a bad habit broken—and it may have been won a long time ago. Since then the individual may have lost sight of his ideal, and even of his desire for it. Faith and fidelity may have waned and hope been shattered. But the power which inspired and upheld him on former occasions is equally present and potent to inspire and uphold him now and on every occasion. The few steps heavenward remain to his credit. They are the forerunners of many more steps to be taken in dauntless spiritual reliance inspired and rewarded by divine Principle. "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." Each individual student of Christian Science is destined to move on to fresh vision, fresh victories, fresh proofs that reality is power.

Violet Ker Seymer

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