Article September 21, 1987 Issue

Of mountains and challenges and spiritual vistas

When we see challenges as a call to grow in our mastery of Christian healing, we begin to enjoy rising to the demand.

Peggy Gordon

The name of a mountain I have skied is Challenger, and I can testify that it's well named. The first time I looked down that mountain I thought I'd never ski it. When I did attempt to, I thought I'd never make it. But I kept at it until I gained confidence, and soon I became quite proficient in skiing this mountain. It was a delightful challenge and became easier each time I went down. Now I've gone on to more difficult mountains.

The challenges we have in demonstrating and living Christian Science are, of course, seriously important. Yet meeting them does have something in common with a skier's mastering a mountain. Ongoing, progressive demonstration of Christian Science also takes diligence, confidence, and continuous practice. If we keep practicing and proving the truth, we gain faith in and understanding of the truth. Mrs. Eddy says, "The song of Christian Science is, 'Work—work—work—watch and pray.'"^{Message to The Mother Church for 1900, p. 2.}

If an illness or some other trouble presents itself, we don't have to be alarmed or dismayed. True, it is a challenge to prove the truth and to grow in confidence in the ability of God, Truth, to heal. But we do not have to be afraid or wonder why this thing has happened to us. One dictionary defines challenge as "a call to combat." We can go forward because God is showing us the perfection of His creation. What would deny this perfection has to be a lie, or illusion, because it does not come from Truth. In the Bible, Paul says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."^{Eph. 6:12.}

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