Perhaps Christian Science has just come into your life. You may have attended your first service in a Christian Science church or attended a Christian Science lecture for the first time. Perhaps a friend or relative has lent you a copy of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. The periodical you are now reading may be the first Christian Science periodical you have read. And you are interested. A natural question comes, "How do I begin?"

The fact that Christian Science is in accord with the teachings of Christ Jesus, and claims that the sick can be healed and the sinner reformed by the same spiritual means Jesus employed, may appeal to you. You would like to heal and to be healed by the Christly method of spiritual healing. Perhaps you earnestly desire to be freed from degrading habits, such as addiction to tobacco, liquor, or other enslavements. You would give much to be free of worry, fear, anxiety, and all their miserable effects. Christian Science offers all these freedoms. And you ask, "How can I demonstrate this liberty?"

One begins by opening his heart wide to the qualities of humility, spiritual receptivity, childlikeness—conditions of thought Jesus said were essential to entering the kingdom of heaven. Jesus also said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."  ^{Luke 17: 20, 21;} From these statements it may be reasonably deduced that the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, is a state of mind, or consciousness, that knows only God, utter good.

Christian Science accepts this conclusion, and the healing of mind and body that comes in the wake of this purified consciousness demonstrates its veracity.

Already you can see that a wholly material or mortal basis of thinking must give place to a spiritual standpoint. This change comes naturally when one recognizes that his true selfhood is found only in the likeness of God as declared in the Scriptures and reiterated in Christian Science. As you image forth the Godlike qualities of love, truthfulness, confidence, trust, and purity, you become consciously aware of your spiritual identity. These Godlike thoughts in turn rule out all morbid thoughts of death, dissolution, sickness, failure, fear, and anxiety.

As one begins to work along these lines in everyday living, he is beginning to be a Christian Scientist, and demonstrations will follow. The word "demonstrations" used here means practical proof in human experience of the power of Mind, the divine Mind, or God, over matter, or what is considered to be matter. In reality, matter is but a false material sense objectified, a false state of thought. Matter has no inherent substance, power, or entity of its own.

Our first demonstrations in Christian Science are very precious. The writer remembers an experience she had as a young girl, when she had been studying this Science but a few weeks. On this occasion she had cycled many miles; and now, tired and weary, she was laboriously pushing her bicycle up a long steep hill, idly watching its wheels as she did so. Then a passage from the book she had recently been reading came to her thought: "You do not say a wheel is fatigued; and yet the body is as material as the wheel. If it were not for what the human mind says of the body, the body, like the inanimate wheel, would never be weary."  ^{Science and Health, p. 218;} With joy she unequivocally accepted this statement from Science and Health, the textbook of her newfound Science of Christianity. Instantly her weariness vanished, and she continued her journey refreshed and inspired. Since that time, many years ago, the renewing and vitalizing power of Truth, when acknowledged and acted upon, has always been found available and instantly effective.

Essential steps in the early practice of Christian Science are complete trust and faith in God, joy to follow the ways of Truth as they open up, willingness to abandon anything that would bar one's growth Spiritward, and peace, patience, love, humility, gratitude. These are first steps, or perhaps we should say fundamental steps, for no matter how long one may have known of Christian Science, he needs to follow faithfully and always persistently practice the fundamentals of its pure teachings if he is to reap its continual benefits. Mrs. Eddy says: "The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should. You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your advancement. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way. 'Who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the truth?' "  ^{p. 326.}