Article April 11, 1953 Issue

FOOTSTEPS TO PERFECTION

JEANNE PAUL CHRISTENSEN

In a recent issue of a magazine which features each month a page devoted to human relationships there was a little quiz under the eye-catching caption, "Are You Disliked?" The questions were so worded that any affirmative answer indicated a personality flaw which might cause its possessor to lack the full approval of his associates. Several of the questions dealt with character traits that were obviously unpleasant, but the last question proved startling, for it asked, "Are you constantly striving for perfection?"

That an earnest desire for perfection and a continuous struggle to attain it should be regarded as a drawback is completely contrary to the teachings of Christian Science, which stress the importance of Jesus' familiar command (Matt. 5: 48), "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." However, an attempt to reach perfection as humanly conceived might be held in disfavor on the ground that it can never be achieved in material terms; and those who have tried to approach it from a mortal standpoint are caught in the labyrinth of discouragement.

What, exactly, is perfection? One dictionary defines it as "the highest possible degree of excellence." Christian Science teaches that it is the pure and flawless manifestation of God, perceived only through the spiritual senses. Man, created by God and reflecting His qualities and attributes, expresses perfection. On page 337 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes, "In proportion to his purity is man perfect; and perfection is the order of celestial being which demonstrates Life in Christ, Life's spiritual ideal."

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