Unfold your wings and fly

"Fasten your seat belt. In a few moments, we will be taking off!"

In an airplane people take this instruction seriously, but they might not think much about it at any other time. Yet every moment we are changing positions—moving forward mentally, if not physically, at varying speeds. At its best, such progress can be much like flying!

Humanity's aspirations and hopes are continually drawing people beyond the old boundaries and ushering them into new spheres of thought and work. When we look back on our lives, and on the progress of humanity as a whole, how else can we describe the tremendous leaps that have been taken than as a form of flight!

Then, what is it that sometimes seems to bind us and keep us from flapping off on our wings? Couldn't one factor be our attachment to the familiar, however finite or limited—to the good or evil that we see, know, and contemplate? But if these elements are all we can aspire to, why do we find ourselves yearning for greater fulfillment? Isn't it because we know—or at least suspect—that we are not the product of materiality, that our real nature is spiritual? And as we are willing to let go of the limits that appear to be imposed by our present experience, our desire to exceed them will bear fruit.

We get ready to fly out and exceed these limitations when we can detach ourselves from the belief that they are a permanent reality, when we realize that man, being the likeness of God, is perfect and unlimited. When we recognize that we are in fact this perfect man, we find that our progress can't be held back by fear or lack of opportunities. Quite often we are aided in this realization through circumstances that at first might seem jarring. Whether we like it or not, sooner or later we may find ourselves left without the accustomed assurances or supports we have become used to. Then what follows? Crashland? Not at all. This is the moment to unfold our wings—and fly!

Writing in her book Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy says, "The wintry blasts of earth may uproot the flowers of affection, and scatter them to the winds; but this severance of fleshly ties serves to unite thought more closely to God, for Love supports the struggling heart until it ceases to sigh over the world and begins tounfold its wings for heaven" (p. 57 ).

A student of Christian Science found himself moved from a busy and important division of a large government organization to a relatively obscure and routine position. The contrast between the two offices was great. He had been taken from a place where important decisions concerning material resources and budgets were taken, and where his friendship and attention were actively courted and cultivated, to a position where even an employee's best efforts could pass unnoticed.

Several well-meaning colleagues, believing he might have been maliciously dealt with, pleaded with him to object to this change. They warned that he would suffer the loss of benefits and prestige.

It was obvious to the Christian Scientist that the argument underlying his friends' entreaties was the erroneous belief that good and substance are finite and material, and therefore have certain limits, forms, places, outside of which they are nonexistent. In prayer, he reaffirmed the truth that God, good, is omnipresent, so it is possible to experience harmony in all places. No location or position has a monopoly on God's love. Divine Love, which is infinite, cannot be present in one place and absent from others.

As he prayed, he recognized that it was not the position per se that created its own attractions, but that these desirable attributes had their source in God, divine Mind. He recalled how Jacob had fled out of fear of his brother Esau, and in a lonely place had had a dream of God and His angels. This enabled him to know that God was right there. Jacob said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not" (Gen. 28:16 ).

Instead of appealing his redeployment, the employee began actively to cherish his new office and surroundings, expressing gratitude for their quietness and simplicity, and the opportunity they presented to him to work without being so much in the spotlight.

This self-effacement did not last long, however. Soon, his new department, which had hitherto existed as a routine service unit, and which was shunned by staff, began to attract attention. Its services became more and more in demand, and went even beyond the usual sphere of activity. Consequently, his contribution was increasingly needed. He was invited to attend and provide input for high-level national committees, and he headed some subcommittees. On a few occasions he was even brought into face-to-face working contact with the president of his country, and traveled and lodged with the president's aides at those times.

In short, the unit rose so much in stature that it became a priority choice for those who wished to be transferred. But that is not all. He received a substantial promotion in his grading as well. Finally, he was given a choice assignment abroad. The director of personnel told him after signing the deployment, "This is a place I myself would have liked to go!"

Christ Jesus once chided the people for following him simply because they wanted to have fish and bread. He told them, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you" (John 6:27 ).

Recognizing that all that is real and eternal inheres in limitless Mind, God, quiets our fears when the need for change arises. Such realization prepares one to unfold his wings for upward flight, for greater fulfillment. When we feel tied down or trapped, this is the moment to expand our view of reality, just what is needed to go through the open door of progress.