Article April 14, 1980 Issue

For the convenience of some readers we will occasionally print an article in large type.

Plateaus on the upward path

DIANE STAUNTON STAPLES

Do your moments of inspiration last? Or do they seem to be peaks followed by valleys, or at least everyday lowlands? Life may sometimes seem that way, but this isn't really an accurate picture of what's going on.

Mountain climbing isn't always just peaks and valleys. There are often plateaus where one can pause briefly, enjoy the new view one has from this higher position, and prepare to go on even higher.

When we study and pray for spiritual growth or for healing, Christ, Truth, inspires us. Mortal mind (the false belief that each of us has an individual mind apart from God) would suggest that after these peaks of inspiration we must come back down onto the same old ground. Yet could this be true when Mrs. Eddy assures us, "In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown"?^{Science and Health, p. 74;} This statement alerts us to reject mortal mind's version of things and to gain a better understanding of what inspiration really is.