Unclogging our progress
For the man of God's creating, progress, the continuous unfolding of good, is natural; in fact, inevitable. The reason is that God is Spirit. And Spirit implies infinity, immortality. The eternal unfoldment of being could be described as Spirit's irreversible law of progress.
Progress can be natural for human activities too. But sometimes it gets clogged up. Perhaps our prayer for things to open up has been based on the assumption that God requires a positive, forward movement in human affairs. True, that can be a helpful premise for prayer. It can aid in nudging us past obstacles that would slow us down.
But even more rapid headway comes when we understand that God's demand for advancement actually has to do with pure spirituality. Since God is Spirit, real forward movement is spiritual instead of material. In fact, an aim at material gain can be self-defeating. But an aim at spirituality not only is divinely fulfilling; it also results in forwarding day-to-day activities.
What about the times when we feel we're at a standstill? Maybe we seem bogged down in our job. Perhaps our study of the Bible or Mary Baker Eddy's writings doesn't appear to be advancing as it should. What fundamentally must be dealt with? It is matter that would obstruct. Plain and simple materiality. Spirit promotes progress; matter would stifle it. Either Spirit or matter must be predominant in our life. Both cannot have the leading role.
But what does this really mean in practical terms? What does it mean to more fully worship Spirit instead of matter? Should we try to ignore the chair we're sitting on or the plate we're eating from? Is this the way to subordinate matter? Far from it.
Matter, to the Christian Scientist, is essentially the outcome, the evidence, of material mentality. Limited thinking, ignorant thinking, fearful thinking. That's what impedes us. Mrs. Eddy writes, "Matter must be understood as a false belief or product of mortal mind: ... then shall matter remain no longer to blind us to Spirit, and clog the wheels of progress." Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 233-234.
Matter represents a state of mortal thought. Mental stagnation, frustration, fear, are the very source and substance of matter. Valid as they may seem to material sense, such states of thought are false, and they distort a true view of substance. Spirit is substance. Spirit carries us ahead; it is the basis of constant, uninterrupted action. And each of us has the capacity to demonstrate the substantiality of Spirit.
Suppose a particular church activity has stalled. Or maybe the congregation as a whole really isn't making the kind of spiritual advance natural to a church impelled by Spirit. The members might want to take an inventory of each church activity. What are its assets? Is it contributing to spirituality? Is member participation based on prayer? Without constant alertness it's easy for organizational activity to sink unnoticed into the quicksand of materiality.
Preparing for a lecture, for instance, demands a whole lot more than physical preparation. It requires that the lecture committee, even the entire membership, grapple with the spiritual purpose behind the lecture—envision its Christly basis. So it is in all church work. Without spiritual vision to motivate action, inspiration and healing and vitality can grind to a halt.
Whether in church or individual activity, it's essential to challenge matter's supposed capacity to bring us to a stop. When examining ourselves, we may decide we're really not too materialistic—not devoted to the accumulation of material goods, free of an emphasis on worldly thoughts and actions. And yet we may not be satisfied with our spiritual development.
Perhaps we're being forced to look deeper, to thoroughly replace materialistic attitudes through prayer. It's not enough just to be unafraid. We may have to be courageous. Relative freedom from lust may have to grow into powerful qualities of virtue and purity. Mrs. Eddy writes, "It is their materiality that clogs the progress of students, and 'this kind goeth not forth but by prayer and fasting.'" Ibid., p. 156.
Not one of us can escape the demand for such "prayer and fasting." And the result is a fuller demonstration of the infinity of Spirit. Practically, we express more Christliness. Our spirituality is expanded and deepened. We are pushed onward.
There really is no power that can act as a hindrance to our Spirit-impelled growth. God's law requires our obedience, and His power is supreme. "Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" Gal. 5:7. the Bible asks. "No one," we can answer. "No power, no substance, no mortal personality, not one facet of materialism, can oppose our march Spiritward."
We needn't wait until tomorrow to more fully commit ourselves to spiritual progress. The decision can be made now. We can decide to challenge basic limitations of thought called matter. We can begin now to feel less fettered and to demonstrate the boundless nature of Spirit.
NATHAN A. TALBOT