Article June 11, 1984 Issue

Seek the higher view

JACK L. COOKE

In traveling by car in the United States, one sees numerous road signs that indicate there is a scenic viewpoint ahead. Usually the traveler has time to stop in a safe parking area and take advantage of a spectacular panorama. Often these observation points are situated at higher elevations to give one an unobstructed view of a snow-covered mountain peak, a peaceful valley, a section of beautiful seacoast, a waterfall, a deep, colorful canyon, or a mirrorlike lake. Of course only those travelers who see the signs and take the time to stop and observe can benefit from what has been prepared for their enjoyment.

What if, in our human experience, we have seen only obstructions and dead ends, which have given no indication of the possibility of a happier, more fulfilling and active life? How can we change our viewpoint? The study of Christian Science inevitably guides one's thinking to a higher, more spiritual elevation where one can glimpse a brighter view. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes, "The footsteps of thought, rising above material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but the angels of His presence—the spiritual intuitions that tell us when 'the night is far spent, the day is at hand'—are our guardians in the gloom."^{Science and Health, p. 174.}

Restricted, material standpoints are the result of accepting as fact the unreliable evidence presented by the physical senses—evidence that says man is corporeal, mortal, limited in every way. So one of the first steps in elevating thought is to deny the discord the material senses may be reporting in regard to man and to gain a more spiritual perception of man as the unlimited expression of divine Mind. Man, the idea of Mind, God, reflects the perfect focus and order of Mind. Man's specific purpose is to express God's being.

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