Making use of the past
Whether our past has been fruitful or frustrating, we can make it servant instead of master by spiritualizing our perception of it. We can prove the unreality of a material concept of our history and begin living with greater dominion.
Our actual identity has always been incorporeal, ideal, the reflection of God. We have never really known a fleshly existence. The physical sense of life is a dream. Its only record is in supposititious mortal consciousness. This mentality can and should be rejected as unreal, untrue, because God alone is Mind.
The Bible asserts, "God requireth that which is past." Eccl. 3:15 ; We need to recognize God as All-in-all in our thought of the past as well as of the present. The discernment of God's totality erases the memory of former hurts. The Psalmist sang of God: "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. ... They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness." Ps. 145:4, 7 ;
This scientific view purifies and elevates the way in which we view the past. We find new freedom and vitality currently. We gain a clearer sense of man's worthiness and are better able to prove the presence of spiritual good. Fear of the future fades. God becomes to us the great I am. We begin to discern divine Life, in which there are no measurements of past, present, or future.
In the Manual of The Mother Church Mrs. Eddy speaks of the great value of testifying to the healing of sickness through Christian Science. But she also says that testimonies should not include a rehearsal of physical symptoms or suffering. See Man., Art. VIII, Sect. 24; This counsel is helpful to us as we consider any experience. Events should be recalled just long enough to point to lessons learned and progress realized. Dwelling on incidents of the mortal dream—even if pleasant—can only strengthen our belief in the dream. Regret, sorrow, bitterness, fear, lurk in so-called mortal consciousness. Entertainment of such thoughts weighs us down and hinders our advancement. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Spiritual development germinates not from seed sown in the soil of material hopes, but when these decay, Love propagates anew the higher joys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love." Science and Health, p. 66 ;
In reality there is no past. What we call the past is our present perception of a supposititious fleshly history. We can watch our thought and hold it to the good that characterizes our true, spiritual history—good that was present in that so-called past just as it is present now. False, evil beliefs remain a part of our mentality only so long as we give our consent. They have no life or intelligence of their own. They cannot cling to us, and we can refuse to cling to them.
Mrs. Eddy explains, "It is well to know, dear reader, that our material, mortal history is but the record of dreams, not of man's real existence, and the dream has no place in the Science of being." She continues farther along, "The heavenly intent of earth's shadows is to chasten the affections, to rebuke human consciousness and turn it gladly from a material, false sense of life and happiness, to spiritual joy and true estimate of being." Retrospection and Introspection, p. 21 ;
Lessons learned and the spiritual advancement resulting from trials are vital. The trouble itself does not belong to eternity. Once the blessing is gained, the difficulty serves no further purpose. At most it has only been the ladder by which we climbed to a higher standpoint. When the new height is reached, there's no need for the ladder. It drops away. In reality, of course, there never was a trouble or a cause for trouble, because God never stops being All.
As we rid ourselves of the husks of past trials, we'll garner into the barns of thought the true grain of spiritual development and rightly measure times past. In the application of divine law, as in human law, precedents are invaluable. Past proofs of Christian Science healing support us in our present triumph over so-called laws of matter. That progress is often the very basis for our moral courage and persistence.
David of Bible times was ready to serve a rightful cause. He went out with confidence to meet the giant, assuring Saul, "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." I Sam. 17:37 ; Evidently David's assurance of victory in the present was based on a deep trust in God gained through prior experience.
One who enters the public practice of Christian Science has gained skill in applying its teachings. After successfully applying Science for himself and his family he feels ready to assist others. His past attainments play a useful role in his current success.
Whatever our past record, we can make good use of it. Purifying our sense of the past, "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God," II Cor. 10:5 . heightens our awareness of the all-power of God. It brings into focus our true, immortal identity and heritage of spiritual completeness. It relates us to eternal good.
