Every Christian Scientist is keenly interested in growth. He knows that real growth is spiritual. He knows that the progress of all mankind depends upon this growth. And he rejoices in the knowledge that growth is not controlled by physical forces, but by the law of God.

What is it that grows? It is our spiritual understanding of God which grows; it is our faith in God which is enlarged; it is our awareness of His presence and power which develops; it is the realization of our ability to reflect Him which increases. This growth is wholly spiritual. It takes place in individual consciousness. It is governed by divine Principle. It is normal, natural, and irresistible.

Scientific growth is the mandate of the one infinite, omnipotent Mind. Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, on page 206 of her book "Miscellaneous Writings," says, "Growth is governed by intelligence; by the active, all-wise, law-creating, law-disciplining, law-abiding Principle, God." This statement declares the source, impetus, and control of all real growth to be divine. It contradicts any theory which assigns growth-producing power to matter, human intellect, or physical energy.

This growth took place in the child Jesus. We read of it in Luke (2:40): "The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him." It was his spiritual stature which developed, his spiritual understanding which increased, his spiritual power which waxed strong.

Through his constantly developing spiritual power, Jesus restored purity and holiness to those who had been immersed in sin, gave health and harmony to those who had been diseased and deformed.

We reason correctly when we acknowledge that our own progress must come through this same spiritual growth. How then shall we proceed? Mrs. Eddy tells us in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 4), "What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds." The desire for growth in grace is essentially a desire to be more Godlike.

Perhaps the simplest way for us to grow in grace is to increase our understanding of divine Love. We do this by acknowledging that God is Love; by realizing that Love is always present and all-powerful; and by knowing that man, because he is the image and likeness of God, is the perfect reflection of divine Love. We make these spiritual facts practical by consciously being more loving, more appreciative, gentle, and compassionate; by deliberately increasing our courtesy, generosity, and co-operation; by expanding our forgiveness, charity, and mercy; and by cultivating more brotherly love, tenderness, and unselfishness. As we put our love of God above all else and as we express this love by loving our neighbor as ourselves, we become more Godlike, and we are aware of a great increase in our spiritual stature.

Just as the farmer, seeking the best growing conditions for his crops, takes care to eliminate weeds and pests, so must we be alert to remove the errors of mortal belief, which constitute the bramble stunting our spiritual cultivation. When stagnation, inertia, or a minimum harvest of good appears in our experience, perhaps we have a weeding job to do.

In her book "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy tells us what to look for. She says (p. 118), "Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace, and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness."

These phases of animal magnetism and their consorts—dishonesty, laziness, materialism, bad temper, and fear—are elements of negation. They have no intelligence or power; no law produces or sustains them; they have no identity, locality, or activity; they are without a real cause, and so have neither effect nor aftereffect when cast out of consciousness. Some of them may for a time stubbornly resist being cast out, some may be deeply embedded in thought, some may have become habitual; but all will yield to the omnipotence and omniaction of Love when our prayer is fervent and unceasing and when we are expressing the essential qualities of Love sincerely and faithfully.

We do not need to fear any type or symptom of false growth. That which appears to be dwarfed or abnormally enlarged is not in accord with divine law. It is an outlaw, appearing to rebel against the law governing true growth. Its roots lie in mortal mind, in such phases as malice, ugliness, deep-seated resentment, belief in false law, defiance of divine Principle. But these are elements of unreality. God did not create them. Mind does not know them. We need not fear them, for the power of Love destroys them. We bring this healing power to bear on the situation when we fervently pray for growth in grace and act in accord with our prayer.

We wax strong in Spirit to the extent that we forsake material sense for spiritual understanding. We increase in wisdom to the exact degree that we turn away from mortal mind to the divine Mind for knowledge and direction. We gain in stature in the ratio that we utilize the power of divine Love to solve our daily problems. The proof of growth is our ability to imitate more and more perfectly the works of our Master. And, through the prayer of fervent desire, this growth in grace will continue until, in the words of St. Paul (Eph. 4:13), "We all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."