Sometimes we face a problem so vast and so intractable that we feel inadequate to cope with it. In these circumstances it's useful to take a realistic look and see if things are really as bad as they appear.

At the base of any situation, despite all appearances to the contrary, is God, the Principle of all genuine being. This Principle being utterly infinite, there can be no room and no scope for a second or subsequent one. There is only one Principle of being.

This one and only infinite Principle, God, is ever present in the sense of both "here" and "now." Principle is present everywhere, embracing every corner of the earth, filling with spiritual light and power its whole vast universe. Similarly, it is ever present in the sense of the present tense. It always exists "now." It has always existed through what are called aeons of time, and it will always exist throughout all future ages. In fact, Principle is timeless and eternal. It cannot be changed, violated, influenced, inhibited, or frustrated.

Another way of thinking of infinite Principle, called God, is as the divine Mind, the origin of all ideas. Although the divine Mind conceives ideas permanently and ceaselessly, it never produces matter, material objects, or material conditions. The ideas of the divine Mind are purely spiritual. Jesus tells us, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." ^{John 4:24;}

These various terms—and there are others, synonymous with them, bringing out yet other aspects of the one and only God— express the infinitude, the allness, of God as the only creator.

Logically, God's, Spirit's, creation, including man, must be spiritual—as perfect, as eternal, as God Himself. It couldn't possibly be otherwise. There is no God-derived power to cause materialism, poverty, sin, ill health, or immorality. God's universe necessarily and inevitably reflects His goodness and power. We see harmonizing effects in proportion to our realization of the one harmonious cause.

The divine power was best demonstrated in human affairs by Christ Jesus. For example, in one case a man in the crowd, evidently up against what seemed to him a great problem, told Jesus about his only son, who was subject to fits. Jesus promptly "healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God." ^{Luke 9:42, 43;}

Mrs. Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, realized that the Principle of Jesus' healing work was just as applicable and just as effective today as in Jesus' time. Speaking of the divine rules of Christian Science, she writes: "They were submitted to the broadest practical test, and everywhere, when honestly applied under circumstances where demonstration was humanly possible, this Science showed that Truth had lost none of its divine and healing efficacy, even though centuries had passed away since Jesus practised these rules on the hills of Judaea and in the valleys of Galilee." ^{Science and Health, p. 147;}

Nevertheless, erroneous mortal thinking, if accepted, would appear to undermine God's allness and supreme power. It suggests that there is another creator called "evil," always at variance with good, and that this other creator has intelligence and authority. This error would make us believe that evil can overpower the only real God, good.

If we accept them as true, error's suggestions would demoralize us to such an extent that resistance to evil would seem foolish and futile. Whatever form a difficulty may assume, mortal mind attempts to make us feel that we are up against a huge and baffling problem. But it is error, not us, that is up against a big problem!

For error actually to be destructive, just think what it would have to accomplish. It would have to introduce a second fundamental cause to the universe; this would be as impossible as making water run uphill and down at the same time. It would have to thrust blemishes into perfection—as impracticable as inserting false quantities into the multiplication table. It would have to terminate Truth—comparable to quenching all light everywhere at the same time.

Error would have to do a lot of other equally impossible things. Of course, it hasn't a fraction of possibility of success in any one of them. It cannot even try since it has no power against Truth. Error is nothing.

God is in complete control. He cannot be touched by error's suggestions, subtle or violent; no more can man, His idea. Mrs. Eddy writes: "The only power of evil is to destroy itself. It can never destroy one iota of good." ^{ibid., p. 186;} She also reassures us, "Undisturbed amid the jarring testimony of the material senses, Science, still enthroned, is unfolding to mortals the immutable, harmonious, divine Principle,—is unfolding Life and the universe, ever present and eternal." ^{ibid., p. 306.}