God's Will Is Good

[Original article in German]

CLARE LOWE

Jesus likened those who heard his sayings, but did not obey them, to a foolish man who built his house upon sand, and pointed out that it therefore could not withstand the storms and floods which beat upon it.

On page 597 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy defines the false sense of "will," in part, as "the motive-power of error." We sometimes scarcely realize how much human will claims to occupy our thought. If we take the Concordances to the Bible and our Leader's writings and study all the passages we find there relating to this subject, we are helped to distinguish between human will and the divine will, the latter being defined (ibid., p. 597) as "the might and wisdom of God."

Our Leader also writes (ibid., p. 490): "Human will is an animal prospensity, not a faculty of Soul. Hence it cannot govern man aright." Human will blinds us to the way of solving human problems through knowing that in God's creation there is perfect harmony. Peace reigns in our consciousness when we let God's will be done, trust Him wholly, and believe in good alone. For "all things are possible to him that believeth," says our Exemplar, Christ Jesus.

Human will oftentimes includes pride, personal ambition, desire for self-glorification, and a tendency to oppress one's neighbor. These traits, which make for inharmony, do not belong to the real man. They are without spiritual might, and are therefore impermanent. We must be convinced that we can do nothing of ourselves apart from God. It is not through human will power, but through spiritual power alone, that we advance in understanding and demonstration. We should never accept error's suggestions, for mortal man easily feels injured because he believes himself to be something. We become conscious of our unity with the one Mind, the one God, through humility, obedience, conscientiousness, and loyalty. These qualities lead onward and upward.

Did not the whole life and work of our Master express loving service? Through his healing ministry he revealed the kingdom of harmony, which was and is eternally present. It is veiled from our vision if we admit self-will and a craving for material power. Christian Science has rent this veil and shown us that inharmony has no real dwelling place. When mortal thoughts and theories are exchanged for the spiritual, we experience no loss, but rather incalculable gain. Spiritual vision is boundless. When belief in the supposed limitations through which mortal mind claims to vex and harass men is swept away, the kingdom of God is found to be within spiritual thinking. Our Father-Mother God has made everything that really exists, and made it perfect, good, and beautiful. He sends no sorrow, no sickness, no pain, no trouble of any kind. These are but dream-shadows, unrealities, which Truth resolves into nothingness. Through obedience to Truth everything that does not belong to us is destined to fall away; so that we can say from a deeply grateful heart, "Thy will be done."

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