As important as spiritual reality is to many people, it may seem puzzling that few consecutive hours out of a day are ordinarily spent actually pondering the nature of God and man. Even when an individual has a desire to think deeply about Truth, there may be frequent distractions that carry him off in other directions—either mentally or physically.

Of course the Christian Scientist is likely to identify various interruptions as animal magnetism. This is a phrase that describes very specifically the nature of all evil, the supposed power that would pull us from Spirit toward matter. And certainly, whatever disrupts efforts to give full attention to God is a facet of animal magnetism.

But we shouldn't feel we are placed in endless combat with some sort of evil power—fighting to keep our thought on God. Instead, we can cultivate an uncontrived ability in praying over an extended period of time. Can you imagine settling down some evening and being so close to God that you prayed quite naturally and without interruption throughout the night? If we understood God and our relationship to Him as Christ Jesus did, we wouldn't find this unusual. Luke reminds us that Jesus "went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." ^{Luke 6:12.}

It seemed such a natural and uncomplicated event for the Master to commune with God for long hours, perhaps days. Jesus demonstrated the Christ. He knew that his true, incorporeal selfhood was perfect, entirely spiritual. This selfhood, the real nature of man, is the Christ. When we admit this pure sense of existence, we are submitting to Christliness, and the transforming effect of such divine light enables us to truly know that man does reflect divine Mind.

If we are trying merely to stretch a finite personal mind into thinking about God for a longer period of time, we'll not equal Jesus' ability to pray. Mortal mind inherently resists communion with God. In fact, the Bible tells us, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." ^{Rom. 8:7.}

Instead of trying to extend the material mind's span of attention, our real need is to begin relinquishing a belief in or dependence on this supposed mind. In reality, God is man's Mind, and Mind is immortal, not mortal. Man expresses the one Mind. If Mind were mortal, it would be normal for its actions to come to an end. That's the very nature of mortality. On such a limited basis, prayer to God—seeking a closer relationship with Him—could never be continuous.

But we can grow in our conviction that Mind is unending, eternal, and that man's actions reflect this Mind. This is the way, then, we broaden our ability to pray: begin shedding what mortals hold dear—belief in the mortality of Mind; increasingly accept the truth that real consciousness not only belongs naturally to God but is consistently expressive of God. Mrs. Eddy explains, "As mortals drop off their mental swaddling-clothes, thought expands into expression." Science and Health, p. 255.

When we finally begin giving up dependence on the human mind and accepting more of the only Mind man really has, we will find our spiritual span of attention increasingly broadened. Uninterrupted prayer will become the norm rather than the exception. And we will find there are other very practical implications derived from a growing capacity to stay with God—a capacity based on man's expression of Mind's infinity rather than on a limited mentality.

We'll find in everyday events that we are more attentive and better able to listen thoughtfully to others—maybe even in lengthy meetings. Perhaps we'll come close to emulating those who listened to Ezra read from morning to midday the law of Moses, "and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law." Neh. 8:3. In light of this, an hour's church service seems a rather brief span!

Children are sometimes stereotyped as having less ability to keep their thought focused very long on a given subject. Many activities, such as ordinary TV fare, foster this notion. Parents can encourage within the child's thought a realization that Mind is not in matter. Our certainty that man distinctively expresses the expansiveness of Mind advances a child's ability to thoughtfully consider, ponder, dwell, contemplate. A child, just as an adult, can learn to commune quietly with God, listen to Him and respond to Him.

None of us has to be limited to a short, uncertain span of attention. We can begin removing this restrictive mortal belief now by discovering that God is all-knowing Mind. Instead of attempting to exaggerate the capacity of a counterfeit mentality called brain, we admit that man reflects infinite Mind. Then we'll be able to listen more consistently to God because we will be expressing more spiritual continuity, more of His divine nature.

NATHAN A. TALBOT