Have you ever thought you were in limbo, even temporarily? The term originates from the theological belief that—simply put—some individuals, through no fault of their own, are barred from heaven. People generally think of it as a state of suspension, or of being walled in by circumstances beyond their control so that they can't progress or be as useful as they'd like. Speaking from experience, I can tell you such a state of thought is frustrating, boring, degenerative, and unwarranted.

Extending the definition of "limbo" to the nontheological, one dictionary calls it "a place or condition of neglect or oblivion." Such a place or condition would be possible only if man could at any time be separated from God, good. But since man is spiritual and is always at one with his Maker, we can prove that the belief anyone could be in limbo is unwarranted. Through the illumination that the teachings of Christian Science bring to the Scriptures, we learn that God's power, love, and goodness embrace all His creation, including man, and are ever operative.

God's ideas, including His highest idea, man, express Him individually and continuously. "If there ever was a moment when man did not express the divine perfection," Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health, "then there was a moment when man did not express God, and consequently a time when Deity was unexpressed—that is, without entity." ^{Science and Health, p. 470.}

The belief in a power and mind apart from God argues that there was such a moment and would keep us thinking that instead of being completely spiritual we are material mortals, striving with other mortals for finite blessings. If we're not alert to the falsity of these arguments, we may find ourselves thinking that only an external change—a new job, home, mate, friend—will bring us peace, happiness, progress.

Posing as our own thinking, erroneous suggestions creep in as self-pity, self-justification, daydreaming. They articulate themselves with deceptive plausibility, more than likely in some variation of the following:

I could be (or was) more useful/needed/productive/creative/ successful/loving/loved/appreciated, if I were only (or when I was) married/single/older/younger/alone/ not alone/somewhere else/with someone else.

But we can refute every lying suggestion that we are in limbo, no matter how plausible or persistent, and nurture instead the God centered qualities that heal.

First, we must see that "limbo" thinking is not ours at all because it doesn't originate in God, divine Mind. We need only accept thoughts in accord with this one and only Mind. As we diligently cultivate the habit of keeping thought so full of gratitude for God's presence, power, and love, and for our oneness with Him as His idea, there is no place nor opportunity for erroneous suggestions to enter.

It may not be easy to maintain such an exalted state when our day-to-day life seems to be hemming us in, when we feel overburdened, underappreciated—maybe even forgotten. But right then is the time to pray vigorously about our spiritual identity and purpose. That's the only way to real progress and lasting freedom. Didn't Christ Jesus say, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"? ^{John 8:32.}

At any time and under any circumstances, we really are able to "know the truth" because thought cannot be imprisoned. We are free to think clearly and logically, rejecting every suggestion that we, or anyone, can be cut off or shut out from God's love and goodness even for a moment. Divine Love is infinite; there is no "outside" to infinity, nor could Love, God, ever forget or neglect His children.

God being all Life, His creation teems with vitality and purpose. In the realm of Spirit, our true environment, all is harmony, and prayer enables us to demonstrate this fact. The God-ordained purposes and functions of His offspring can't collide with, restrict, or undermine each other any more than can beams of light.

Maintaining these facts in consciousness frees us from foolish, nonproductive tendencies to compare our abilities and opportunities, or lack of them, with the abilities and opportunities of others. We'll be ready, then, for the answers that come as we humbly ask God to show us how we may best serve Him.

Note how self-oriented "limbo" thinking is. It turns inward, downward to mortality, and accomplishes nothing. Seeking to glorify God by understanding man's oneness with Him and thinking outward from that standpoint, we endeavor to express Him in all we say and do. This is the key to growth and true fulfillment.

The act of bringing thought into harmony with divine reality is true prayer. In the first chapter of Science and Health, entitled "Prayer," Mrs. Eddy states, "Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers." ^{Science and Health, p. 15.} Anyone, seasoned Christian Scientist or brand-new student, who feels he isn't praying as effectively as he could, would do well to study this chapter carefully.

The purification of thought resulting from effective prayer, the little-by-little yielding of false, mortal beliefs about ourselves and others to the facts of being, evidence the Christ in action. The Christ is God's manifestation of His power, presence, and love. Discerning and responding to the Christ, we become better healers.

Healing starts with our own thinking. But the truths that come to us as we pray have a leavening effect on the world, especially as we apply them to specific world conditions in need of healing. A lot of the problems we may consider our personal challenges are of universal concern. The world cries out for healing of lack, of ruptured relationships, discrimination, oppression, injustice. Jesus' life and teachings opened the way to solving all of life's problems through the ever-present Christ, Truth. Our mission as his followers is to bear witness to this healing truth, not just when things are going well but all the time.

Because our prayerful work goes on unseen, mortal belief would seek to convince us that nothing is happening. But we needn't be fooled. Remember all that went on in the tomb before Jesus reappeared in the resurrection! In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul closes a long discussion of the resurrection with these words: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." ^{I Cor. 15:58.}

God-inspired, Christianly scientific prayer is always fruitful. As we remain steadfast, we'll feel its resurrecting effect in our hearts: in a greater sense of purpose, in increased joy, and in unselfed love for others. We'll be less tempted to ruminate about our human circumstances as we find the job at hand, our healing work, to be satisfying and rewarding.

God is always expressing Himself through man—you and me in our true, our only, identity. And in the perfectly ordered universe of God, divine Principle, there is an avenue for this expression. It may not lie in the direction where we've been looking nor lead where we thought we wanted to go, but it is there. The avenues appear as we acknowledge—and resolve to respond only to—the ever-presence and omniaction of Principle's law, Mind's inspiration and direction, and Love's impulsion.

As we eliminate "limbo" thinking in this way, we'll come to see that we never were in limbo and never will be. There is no such place or condition for any of God's ideas. Moreover, every time we replace a degenerative, mortality-centered "limbo" belief with regenerative, God-centered thoughts, we're participating to a degree in resurrection—in the overcoming of death.

Wouldn't you say that's a worthwhile undertaking?