In the first book of the Bible (Gen. 19) is related the story of Lot and his family, who were promised deliverance from the doomed city of Sodom but cautioned not to look back. We read that when Lot's wife disregarded the warning and turned for another look at the scene of destruction, "she became a pillar of salt." Bitter, indeed, is the experience of one who persists in dwelling in thought upon unhappy events in the past. Thereby he often suffers more than when the event supposedly occurred.

One reason, perhaps, why we are tempted to look back with regret is the suggestion that a mistake has been made; that if only we had it to do over again a very different course of action would be pursued, with far happier results. Examined in the light of spiritual understanding, however, the fallacy of such an argument is clearly seen. What is necessary in the present is to correct our thinking about the past and to be sure that our daily living is manifesting true growth. We must rejoice in the assurance that perfect intelligence always has governed and always will govern the universe, including man, thus proving the belief in past mistakes or fear of future ones to have no real part in our lives.

Another excuse for looking back is the erroneous claim that things were better then; that one was happier, perhaps freer, healthier, or richer. But this claim, too, is disputed by divine Science on the basis that all the good that ever was, is available now, since God, the source of all good, is ever present. Mary Baker Eddy defines God thus (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 587): "The great I am; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence." The present availability of infinite joy, freedom, perfection, and substance is clearly discerned by one who accepts and demonstrates this concept of God as "the great I am" in its fullest spiritual meaning.

Still another false argument for looking back is the mistaken tendency to connect present beliefs with past circumstances—in other words, the lie of heredity, the recurrence of sin or disease. Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p. 228), "Heredity is a prolific subject for mortal belief to pin theories upon; but if we learn that nothing is real but the right, we shall have no dangerous inheritances, and fleshly ills will disappear." A dictionary defines "hereditary" as "transmitted, or capable of being transmitted, as a constitutional quality or condition from parent to offspring." The realization and steadfast insistence that our only parent is our Father-Mother God will permanently deliver us from the false fears of heredity. As for recurrence of sin or disease, one must refuse to entertain fears concerning error. Because God is All, error never has, in reality, occurred, existed, been true or real.

Once a Christian Science lecturer was waiting to go out on the platform of a church in a small town. The one who was to introduce him confided: "You know, I'm a little ashamed to have to walk out there and introduce you, for I limp. Over twenty years ago I fell out of an apple tree on our farm, and ever since I've limped." The lecturer looked at her challengingly and said firmly, "Madam, stop falling out of that apple tree!" At the conclusion of the inspiring lecture which followed, the introducer told the lecturer that she was free from pain for the first time in years.

Many of us need to stop falling out of the apple tree of past beliefs; to get out and stay out of the Adam-dream of having a past in which God, good, was not present. This was brought forcibly to my attention when I was suddenly stricken with a painful back ailment in which the spinal column appeared to be dislocated or injured. I called a practitioner for help, adding in the course of the conversation, "I haven't had a pain in my back like this since the time our child was born." There was a moment of silence, and then the practitioner asked: "Are you still believing that you were ever a mortal, or that you ever gave birth to another mortal? Or are you declaring that you are and always have been immortal, spiritual, inorganic, perfect, the infinite manifestation of infinite Mind?"

The loving rebuke awoke me to the opportunity for spiritual study and unfoldment that awaited me. Instead of chafing under the pain and inactivity I devoted the next few days to an inspired study of the Bible and Science and Health and the reading of the Christian Science periodicals. While reading the testimonies in a copy of The Christian Science Journal, I noticed a number of instances in which the healing of back trouble was mentioned. I realized that each healing comes in a different way to meet the individual need. Suddenly the thought came: "My trouble is in the past and needs to be seen as another lying argument of malicious animal magnetism. My job is to stay in the present; to know that 'now are we the sons of God.' Surely that will be the end of the trouble." So it proved. That was the beginning of my healing, and within a week's time I was completely free in every respect.

A line from a loved hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 391) raises the question, "Why search the future and the past?" The conclusive answer is found in this inspired statement of our Leader's(The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 12): "We own no past, no future, we possess only now." Then let us joyfully claim this possession and not look back.