Our True Purpose

GUY B. ARTHUR

In the morning hours, thousands of Christian Scientists cherish the valiant hope that they may go to their business clad, as Paul commended, in "the whole armour of God." They desire earnestly to maintain all through the busy day their consciousness of the true things of Spirit, untouched by annoyance or fatigue.

Many entertain a false concept of business, and, as a result, business is accused of unlovely practices. This is a challenge to every Christian Scientist, both in contributing right thinking to business and in receiving right returns from it. Business consists in exchanging services. Rightly viewed, business is an expression of good. That is its true nature. To be in business of any kind, in any capacity, while holding to the spiritual concept of business, is honorable and constructive.

One of the subtle snares which mortal mind lays for the unwary is the claim that we must accept the material ways and standards of business which seem to prevail; that we are subject to its customs, limitations, and mesmerism, without choice. We are led to believe sometimes that we have no time for metaphysical preparation and protection, or that our business is a thing apart from our understanding and application of divine Science. We may even fail to obey Article VIII, Section 6, of the Manual of The Mother Church, by Mary Baker Eddy, which reads in part, "It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind."

When suggestions of helplessness before error begin to encroach upon our thinking, we need to understand that we cannot be mesmerized by them, nor be led to adopt wrong methods and standards. The sense of lack of time, of material customs and circumstances, has no power to engulf us, hinder our protective work in the morning, or suppress our true consciousness of harmony throughout the day. We can be alert, on guard. For those engaged in it, business is a proving ground.

One can keep one's gaze upon spiritual reality during the day's work, above petty annoyances and distractions. The Psalmist declared: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." And by frequently referring to these Scriptural words, and others, we can make sure that our every effort is uplifted to spiritual heights.

We hear much in these times about vigorous action in business, as though aggressiveness were a virtue. Men are admired for a great display of so-called energy. But true activity reflects divine Mind; and all resultant activity is included in the divine presence, for, as Paul declared to the Athenians, "In him we live, and move, and have our being."

It is obvious, then, that, speaking absolutely, we have no work, duty, purpose, or pursuit except to conform our thinking to God's will. This means that since God's creation is finished, we must spiritualize our thinking about all things, including business.

We must seek to know what is God's will for us. Our hope, desire, expectation, aim, ambition, and prayer is to discern His will. It is to gain a spiritual sense of unity with Him, in which we hear His voice directing us at every juncture, leading us to turn to the right or to the left, to go forward or to stand still, to speak or to be silent. That communion is attainable, as many students of Christian Science can gratefully testify. Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 254), "When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path."

An example of obedient waiting on God's directing is related in the sixth chapter of the book of Joshua. The city fell to Joshua's host because they marched when they were instructed to march, and rested as they were bidden to do, and shouted when the victory was won. Jericho fell because Joshua obeyed God's directing.

To be at one with God's purpose is to be in the Spirit. St. John, in his vision, saw that the obedient are "before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."

True existence is harmonious and complete. Life is All-in-all, and Love is the divine Principle of all real being. God lovingly governs all that really exists. The continuous purifying of our purpose to obey God is our real business, the receiving and expressing of divine ideas.

"Immortal ideas, pure, perfect, and enduring," we read on page 259 of Science and Health, "are transmitted by the divine Mind through divine Science, which corrects error with truth and demands spiritual thoughts, divine concepts, to the end that they may produce harmonious results."

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