Article February 15, 1947 Issue

Are You on the Road to Heaven?

CARL J. WELZ

The human being whose heart is becoming purer, whose affections and purposes are becoming more spiritual, is on the road to heaven, the road of learning that man has never been out of that glorious, harmonious kingdom. His steps along this road are guided and protected by the Christ. Each step is the demonstration of his own being as the image of God. Thus he reverses erroneous suggestions of an ungodlike power and so doing makes steppingstones, even as Moses used the rod which appeared to be a serpent. The world's turmoil, the nation's strife, his church's problems, his family's difficulties, his body's pains—all alike are to him counterfeits of divine reality. Reversing them, he changes the evidence, and thereby climbs to newer heights and grander vision.

One member of the armed forces during the recent war was able to prove beyond question that untoward circumstances, reversed, had no power other than to aid his achievement and add to his confidence and joy. Upon completion of basic training he was assigned to a small unit in which limitation, injustice, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and hatred seemed to abound. To make matters worse, there was no time or place for quiet study or thought such as he had known in civilian life. Being a student of Christian Science, he accepted the challenge as an opportunity to prove its truths, and resolved to place his own growth in spiritual understanding above all else, above even the desire to alleviate his unhappy situation.

He learned quickly that when he opened his ears to Truth, the disturbances of noisy, crowded barracks ceased to be heard, and time was found for study, which became a great joy. He learned to love the men with whom he lived and worked and soon found himself untouched by the selfish discords which seemed to permeate the very atmosphere. These lessons learned, he was transferred to higher work. The new assignment presented new problems, but with the higher understanding he had gained he was better able to meet them. Again and again this experience was repeated. Each time the problems of the new assignment were turned into proving grounds for greater strength, and as soon as their needed lessons were thoroughly learned, a change occurred bringing higher opportunities for usefulness and a better assignment.

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