Life is God. Life is infinite. Life is self-creative, self-existent, self-perpetuating, self-sustained, and self-renewing. This conception of Life as the animating divine Principle of all being is the basis of the Science of Life as explained by Christian Science.

This religion shows that man neither originates nor maintains life by himself, and that he cannot hope to do so. Instead, man expresses and individualizes the divine Life which is God. One who understands this truth is reinforced and reinvigorated in his human experience. This is an important point because it means that one can never, in reality, be deprived of life at any point or at any time. Life is continuous, inexhaustible, and constantly finding new expression.

There is nothing abstract about the Science of Life. On the contrary, it is very practical. To understand it is to be able to apply it in human experience and enjoy a much fuller sense of life. The Bible promises, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." ^{Isa. 40:31;}

Isaiah might have said that they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their inspiration, their joy, their faith, or any other spiritual quality. In other words, they shall feel divine Life surging into their consciousness, resuscitating, replenishing, renewing, and reconstructing thought wherever it may seem to be deficient.

More even than that. The Science of Life explains that thought affects physical conditions and indeed determines them. Weak thought shows up in a weak body. And renewal of thought brings renewal of bodily functions and faculties. So Isaiah might even have said that they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their sight or their hearing or any of their other faculties or functions. They shall also renew their hearts, if need be, without having to resort to electronic aids or complicated processes of transplantation.

Mrs. Eddy writes: "When the unthinking lobster loses its claw, the claw grows again. If the Science of Life were understood, it would be found that the senses of Mind are never lost and that matter has no sensation. Then the human limb would be replaced as readily as the lobster's claw,—not with an artificial limb, but with the genuine one. Any hypothesis which supposes life to be in matter is an educated belief." ^{Science and Health, p.489;}

Why do we have to understand the Science of Life and do what we call "mental work" before we can be effortlessly renewed? Because we do not understand the need of waiting on God, nor do we have the simple faith and receptivity that this action demands. Waiting is not just a question of sitting around doing nothing. It implies a mental attitude of alertness, expectation, and readiness, a staying very close to God in thought. It calls for the recognition of God not only as Life but also as Love tenderly caring for all creation, and as Principle tolerating no imperfections anywhere.

Most of our education leads thought in a very different direction. We are taught to think of man as material, mortal, having material senses that can wear out or be lost, and to attribute to matter sensation, life, substance, and intelligence. Then the body seems just like another machine that needs to be patched up and refitted from time to time, and for doing this society devises all sorts of ingenious but quite unnatural ways.

This would leave the great resuscitating power of thought quite untapped. It would fail to recognize God as the one source of life, the one cause of all existence. And it would fail to recognize man as the effect of this great cause. Through such material methods men are virtually trying to do God's work for Him without even using the resources that He provides for the purpose. What we need is a much clearer sense of dependence upon God, to know who does what, and to be more willing to accept our own assignment and get on with it.

Christ Jesus waited on God humbly, constantly, and tirelessly. He always acknowledged God as cause and man as effect. He looked to God as the only source of life and power and then freely used this power to bring new life wherever he went, reviving, restoring, and regenerating thought and so transforming human situations. He said very plainly, "The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." ^{John 14:10;}

Mrs. Eddy waited on God with a profound sense of His immense power and willingness to do whatever was needed to maintain His own creation. And she, too, had remarkable results. She states in Science and Health: "Working out the rules of Science in practice, the author has restored health in cases of both acute and chronic disease in their severest forms. Secretions have been changed, the structure has been renewed, shortened limbs have been elongated, ankylosed joints have been made supple, and carious bones have been restored to healthy conditions." ^{Science and Health, p. 162;}

To the patient concerned, the nature of his own particular deficiency seems very important indeed. But it always represents the same suggestion that there is some point where Life does not reach, some unnatural empty space in thought that needs to be filled up. The Science of Life makes it clear that every individual manifestation of divine Life is by its very nature perfect and complete. It starts that way and it stays that way.

Therefore any material evidence of loss or incompleteness, whether physical, financial, or moral, can only arise from a sense of separation from the divine source of life because we have either forgotten to wait on God or have refused to do so. The remedy is a very simple one. It is not to try to do God's work for Him. And it is not to do nothing. It is to turn back humbly and expectantly to God and give Him the opportunity to fill our thoughts with new life. Then this lively thought flows in turn into every corner of our experience, bringing new health, new work, and new rewards according to our individual need. Mrs. Eddy assures us, "The Science of Life needs only to be understood; its demonstration proves the correctness of my statements, and brings blessings infinite." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 56.}