Stay in the race

For the lesson titled "Probation After Death" from October 17–23, 2011

By Abby Fuller

The first verse of the 12th chapter of Hebrews is the cornerstone of this week’s Bible Lesson, titled “Probation After Death.” We hear it three times: in the Golden Text from the New International Version, in the third section from the King James Version (citation 11), and in the sixth section it’s quoted in Science and Health (p. 20, cit. 28). Clearly, this verse encourages us to persevere in the race marked out for us, be patient in the race set before us, and as Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “. . . put aside material self and sense, and seek the divine Principle and Science of all healing” (p. 20).

Stay in the race to the finish! It doesn’t matter which place we come in. We simply need to keep moving forward. Some of us have trials and tribulations to pass through along the way, which may seem daunting, or even remarkably difficult, but there is always help available. God knows us and wants us to finish with joy, providing helping hands, keeping us from becoming buried in matter, and “unwinding one’s snarls” (Science and Health, p. 240, cit. 14). Finishing is what counts, not winning.

There’s a lot in this Lesson about races, trials, and tests. We are required to ignore the lies that say to us that we cannot finish the race or that we will fail our trials. We need to push on, stick in there, and then we will win the prize, the crown of life, promised to us as God’s beloved (see James 1:12, cit. 23).

The race metaphor is one that the Apostle Paul and his followers loved. It is used repeatedly in Paul’s letters, such as Romans, Philippians, and Galatians, and in the letters that later writers attributed to him, such as Hebrews and Ephesians. Paul speaks of pressing “toward the mark” (Phil. 3:14, cit. 4), and tells us to “prove all things” (I Thess. 5:21, cit. 19). These verbs are speaking of moving toward the end of a race and testing or trying out ideas, as in a sporting event. We want to pay attention to the good, winning ideas, throwing out the bad ones. We are encouraged to keep the high goal before us and not be distracted by material, losing thoughts.

We are never left wandering in the wilderness.

There are signs before the pitfalls and traps, but if we rush too quickly we might miss the “Do not enter” and “Not this way” signs and temporarily be led off the path of righteousness. As the Golden Text points out, “the sin that so easily entangles” can trip us up if we are not paying attention. Yet, we are never left wandering in the wilderness. However far we feel that we have strayed off the path, God is always right there guiding us.

Twice in this Lesson we are reminded to choose Science instead of suffering. One of the citations reads, “Remember that mankind must sooner or later, either by suffering or by Science, be convinced of the error that is to be overcome” (Science and Health, p. 240,
cit. 14). We cannot skip any of the learning that we need to do, but there is a shortcut if we learn through Science.

The end of the race that we are heading toward appears to be ascension. Moses’ body was never found, and some scholars argue that it was believed that he was taken, like Enoch (see Deut. 34:1–8, cit. 8). Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind by the chariots of heaven and did not pass through death on his way to ascension. Jesus spent three days in the tomb after dying on the cross, ascending several weeks later (see John 20:1–20, cit. 15; Acts 1:1–9, cit. 17). We are told that there is a probationary time after death that enables us to become so spiritually elevated that we, too, will eventually ascend.

So, keep it up! We all have free access to divine Truth and Principle, which enable us to choose to learn and continue our forward progress through Science, not suffering. We can persevere in the race, with no backward steps. This will enable us to “. . . gain a little each day in the right direction, till at last [we] finish [our] course with joy” (Science and Health, p. 21, cit. 29).

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Testimony of Healing

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