Article January 9, 1937 Issue

"All the land which thou seest"

LESLIE BURN ANDREAE

In Genesis it is stated, "And the Lord said unto Abram, ... Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever." As Abraham, spiritually interpreted, typifies "fidelity" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 579), we may assume that the promise, "To thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever," may be taken to refer to this spiritual state of thought, wherever manifested in adherence to divine Principle.

There are, however, certain conditions to be observed in order that we may obtain the fulfillment of the promise and enjoy our God-given heritage of "the land." First, we must lift up our eyes—that is, look away from material conditions to the spiritual reality, look up from the place where we are. And no matter where we are, however involved in erroneous beliefs we seem to be, we can always look up. Secondly, we must look "northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward"—in every direction. Here is a definite call to recognize the infinitude of good, the limitless, boundless, universal nature of God and His manifestation. Further, the promise was, "All the land which thou seest." Abraham had himself to see the land, and he had to look to all points of the compass to do so, the implication being that just as far as he saw he would receive. How necessary, then, that we take a wide and comprehensive view of good!

Are there any who, in endeavoring to overcome the lie of limitation, represented by lack and unemployment, are not yet obedient to this one essential condition? Instead of looking to the infinite source of good, are they unwittingly thinking that supply or employment must come to them through some special avenue, from some specific trade or business, perhaps even from some particular individual? Because they do not allow their thought to expand, "all the land" which they see may result in meeting only bare necessities and earning a wage considerably less than their human obligations require. The belief that God confines Himself to a single channel through which to supply their needs, or is content with only a partial fulfillment of His promise, is not in accordance with the infinite abundance, limitless resources, such as should be rightly ascribed to Him. Such a belief is itself a form of limitation which brings its own meager reward.

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