Article December 5, 1988 Issue

Look at yourself

What you see when you look in the mirror tells you something about your appearance. But what you see when you look to your source, God, tells you everything about your spiritual identity.

Mary Barnes

Many times throughout the day we may look at ourselves in a mirror—perhaps to comb our hair or to make sure some item of clothing is neat and tidy. It's natural that we should care for ourselves in this way and maintain a proper sense of personal orderliness and cleanliness. But of greater importance is the constant need for deeper, spiritual self-examination —that is, the examination of our thoughts to ensure that we are keeping them pure and Godlike and on as spiritual a level as possible. Although this may seem a big demand, the Science of Christ comes to our rescue, enabling us to meet the demand. Christian Science reveals the true nature of existence and introduces us to our real, spiritual identity as the children, or offspring, of God, divine Love. The real man is made in the image and likeness of God, Spirit, and therefore is—must be—entirely spiritual.

Christian Science also teaches that God, infinite good, is the only Mind and that in reality man has no mind separate from the divine Mind, which he reflects. This, of course, directly opposes the belief that each individual has a mind and will of his own. Understanding this enables us to make consistent efforts to bring our thought into conformity with the characteristics of real, spiritual selfhood—characteristics such as unselfishness, mercy, purity, integrity. As we do this we bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."^{II Cor. 10:5.}

In order to do this, it's essential to understand just what this spiritual individuality is like. Throughout the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, we are told who we really are—the beloved children of God. As we perceive this true identity more clearly, we see that the mortal picture of man with all his weaknesses, frailties, and inhibitions is a false presentation of true manhood, a presentation that must be denied and replaced with the genuine spiritual concept. Science and Health assures us, "The real man being linked by Science to his Maker, mortals need only turn from sin and lose sight of mortal selfhood to find Christ, the real man and his relation to God, and to recognize the divine sonship."^{Science and Health, p. 316.}

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