It happened one morning in a hotel room. The red charging signal on my electric razor lighted up, the humming of the little motor got fainter and fainter, and shortly it stopped altogether because the battery was drained.

No problem. I plugged the electric cord I'd brought along into the outlet and finished shaving. By noon the razor was fully recharged and the green control light informed me: "Energy on hand."

Sometimes one hears a friend or colleague remark that he feels worn out, tired, his battery drained.

Suggestions of leaden weariness, exhaustion, and worry about not being able to be productive anymore may at times come to thought very convincingly. Perhaps one even believes he doesn't have the strength to resist such suggestions.

Vigor and vitality are frequently viewed as derivatives of a strong, purpose-oriented human will. If this were so, they could in fact quickly become lost, since mortal capabilities have no permanence or reliability.

Through her life and work, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, gave the world an example of how humility and obedience to divine Love enabled her to have tireless creativity and a wide range of activity. Time and again this liveliness and freshness made a great impression upon visitors who met her. One visitor is recorded in Mrs. Eddy's book Pulpit and Press as saying: "On the evening that I first met Mrs. Eddy by her hospitable courtesy, I went to her peculiarly fatigued. I came away in a state of exhilaration and energy that made me feel I could have walked any conceivable distance. I have met Mrs. Eddy many times since then, and always with this experience repeated" (p. 36). This effect is possible solely through the sustaining influence of the infinite Mind, God.

Of course, activity just for the sake of doing something is not God's will. Hectic bustling about, which may get stuck in dead ends, has nothing to do with divine Mind's impulsion. Through the intelligent expression of Mind, we can do the right thing at the right moment, and the energy we manifest will have a harmonizing and calming effect.

No one needs to blow a fuse, and we can avoid "short circuits" in our dealings with other people when gratitude for God's power characterizes our actions. Human willpower, shown in ruthlessness, blind ambition, and hardness, does not lead to any lasting success. That which is sometimes called strength falls flat when self-centeredness or envy is behind it. There's no advantage for anyone when actions are based on bad motives.

In several places in her works, Mrs. Eddy uses the term divine energy, alluding to the source of real power: God, Spirit. The eternal energy of good awakens, animates, and keeps us active.

Since God and man, the ever-acting divine Mind and His expression, coexist in indestructible unity and harmony, there is no reason to worry about diminishing joy in doing productive work. Good—everlasting, permanently expressing itself—does not fluctuate, either in quality or in quantity. God, our Father, does not change, and, as His spiritual ideas, we must express the unchanging vitality and joy of the divine nature.

Christ Jesus proved through his work that we can trust God and subordinate our lives to His will. "Thy will be done" is in fact the scientifically correct reply to the mortal suggestion "I don't have the energy." The only successful way to remain active is to listen for God's commands and to glorify divine Love in our daily lives.

The discovery that freshness and freedom of action come from God liberates and animates. When trust in the immediate presence of God grows, new possibilities open up for us to gain a better understanding of God's will and to practice it. In this way we affirm His life-giving, sustaining power.

It's also important to realize that there is no element of limited time in God's universe. Thus the length of time someone has been taken in by a suggestion of weariness, illness, sin, or some other difficulty is not the fundamental issue. And the question as to when one can be active again becomes superfluous. Doing God's will lends energy that unfolds constantly and in many unique ways.

We can immediately identify ourselves as the expression of active divine Love. We are then no longer viewing ourselves from a confining, mortal standpoint but are manifesting a humble readiness to serve God. This spiritual readiness exists independent of all conceivable outward circumstances. It is, in fact, a natural state of consciousness, which inspires us, quickens our steps, and leads to further activity.

In her foundational work on Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mrs. Eddy writes, "Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy" (p. 249). This newness of life promises transformation and blessing. It is of no real importance what we formerly believed we were unable to do. The important thing is that we openly and courageously recognize our present possibilities in demonstrating newness of life.

In the Bible we find convincing examples of the working of the divine energy in the lives of individuals and entire peoples. In one psalm the author speaks of God as follows: "One generation shall praise to another what you have brought forth, and tell of your mighty deeds. ... They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and of your tremendous power, and tell all people of your deeds, and the glory and majesty of your kingdom" (Ps. 145:4, 11, 12, from the German Good News Bible).

The way to greater activity and energy is not then a laborious search for something alien. It is an acceptance of something that we as God's ideas already possess. Christ, the divine influence in the human consciousness, is present in every moment and in all conceivable situations. The Christ is perpetually active, revealing our true nature and the availability of God's power. The divine Mind gives all the ability to act and all the strength we need.

The Apostle Paul wrote quite a few things to the Ephesians by way of counsel, and one of his statements seems especially important to the subject at hand. He urged, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (6:10). Man is never separate from his divine source, from Truth, Life, and Love. This unity is indestructible, reliable, invigorating; and our understanding of God's omnipotence and omnipresence makes us strong.

Michael A. Seek
Associate Editor for Der
Herold der Christlichen Wissenschaft

ISAIAH

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Isaiah 40:28