When I was growing up, I enjoyed exploring a wildlife refuge near my home. This little forest had many trails, most of which involved crossing streams.

These streams seemed quite large and formidable to me as a child. I didn't dare cross them! But as I grew older, I came to realize that they were no longer obstacles at all: neither immense nor dangerous, they were easily forded.

As we advance in our lives, we may find we have a lot of "streams" to cross. Many challenges present themselves: finding proper employment, getting a good education, maintaining health. How can we handle such challenges? The Apostle Paul found this attitude helpful: "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." ^{II Cor. 12:10.} Mrs. Eddy, commenting on this Bible text, states, "The holy calm of Paul's well tried hope met no obstacle or circumstances paramount to the triumph of a reasonable faith in the omnipotence of good, involved in its divine Principle, God...." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 200.}

Many times an obstacle to progress disappears when we face up to it, because nothing can really oppose our progress in the right direction, in the direction of Spirit, God. Anything that would seem to block our spiritual progress is an error.

In trying to understand the erroneous nature of anything that opposes advancement Spiritward, I like to recall my childhood experience. To my young eyes those little streams looked like great rivers. But that view was not really accurate. When I matured and could see them as they truly were—as mere streams —they stopped being any obstacle at all. Similarly the belief of life and intelligence in matter, termed animal magnetism in Christian Science, seems to be an obstacle to spiritual progress. But animal magnetism is a misconception. As we grow in utilizing spiritual sense—praying with humility and with a deep desire to know God—we can see that animal magnetism is erroneous, is a misperception of what is actual. We come to see, in fact, that the belief of life in matter has no reality or being at all.

Fuller, fresher views of God unfold as we begin to understand His illimitable nature. We also begin to understand His creation as wholly spiritual, as wholly reflective of His infinite goodness. This progressive line of thought corrects misconceptions and guides us in the right direction. And the understanding gained through the study of Christian Science bears practical fruit: we find our needs met by our heavenly Father-Mother, Love, and we are healed.

Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, defeated the lies of sin, disease, lack, through his deep knowledge of God's love for man. When faced with a crowd of several thousand to feed, our Master turned to God's abundant presence. Seven loaves and a few fishes amply satisfied the multitude—with some left over. ^{See Matt. 15:32-38 .} His understanding of God as Life itself was so profound that death was no obstacle to his proving Life as eternal reality. He restored his friend Lazarus to life four days after Lazarus had been buried. ^{See John 11:1–44 .}

These and other seemingly insurmountable difficulties were reduced to utter nothingness by the Christ, Truth, expressed so perfectly by Jesus. Following his example as our understanding grows, we too can demonstrate Truth's healing power.

I was recently able to prove in one instance the power of Truth to overcome any obstacle. Our son, then only a few weeks old, had become quite congested and uncomfortable. The prayerful help of a Christian Science practitioner was sought. When our son did not seem to grow better—although he did not get any worse—the practitioner suggested I study a particular paragraph in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy.

This paragraph has the marginal heading "Insistence requisite." Awakened by such powerful commands as "Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream. Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being, until the body corresponds with the normal conditions of health and harmony," ^{Science and Health, p. 412.} I found that my thought needed to be straightened out. The illness had become so fearsome to me that healing it seemed as difficult as fording a flooding river!

Seeing this obstacle to progress in my own thought, I began to insist strongly on the truth of being. I affirmed that disease is no part of reality; that it can never touch God's man, the offspring of Spirit. With this understanding, my thought began to clear, my fears subsided and disappeared. The path to healing was no longer impeded. By the next day I could tell the practitioner that our son was completely well. I am still very grateful for this wonderful healing, which marked a step forward in my spiritual understanding.

Because we are sustained by God's ever-presence, there is no challenge too great for us to overcome, no river of error that cannot simply dry up and disappear into the nothingness it really is. And we can prove this right here and now.