The life of modern man and woman must be a mess. At least that's the way it seems if much of the media advertising and hype is to be believed. And to fix the mess? Yes, there's a therapy touted for everything—from that "embarrassing" dandruff to the emotional angst attached to "getting ahead" in contemporary society. Newsweek magazine recently reported on one of the latest innovations: "Another new concept is 'aroma therapy,' which combines perfumed lotions and massage to soothe the body and presumably, the mind." Then Newsweek quotes a therapist, " 'The right fragrance can uplift your whole system.' " ^{Newsweek, March 31, 1986, p. 38 .}

Uplifting one's whole system may certainly be desirable. Yet we might also want to consider the "whole package" we're buying into when we settle for any material therapy as the answer to our need. Isn't our need actually always for individual development or healing, and isn't this always a need for spiritual progress?

There's no question that living in today's world has plenty of challenges. Emotional troubles, tied closely to many physical diseases, are a serious concern. Perhaps one reason that stress, anxiety, despair, depression, seem to be on the rise in spite of all the available human therapies is that such methods of treatment are essentially doctoring effects and not correcting the fundamental cause. And to accept only an effect-oriented therapy would keep us bound to limitations. Our individual progress would remain tenuous at best.

In Christian Science, one learns that at the root of all emotional and physical difficulties are the unchallenged beliefs that life and intelligence are material, that man has an existence and mind separate from God, and that satisfaction and happiness are to be found in materiality. The truth, however, is that God is the one infinite Mind, divine Spirit, and God's creation is the perfect manifestation of this one, all-knowing Mind. Therefore, the man of God's creating—your true selfhood—is the spiritual likeness of the creator. Your real life is in God. Your intelligence is of divine Mind.

It really isn't possible to find lasting peace from emotional turmoil or from physical distress if one's attempt to effect a cure stems from the same erroneous belief that caused the difficulty—the belief that life and intelligence are material. To find real healing, fulfillment, and steady progress in our lives, we need to be willing to turn our hopes and expectations to God and away from materiality with its unfulfilled promises and disillusionment.

Christian Science treatment is the deep and earnest prayer of spiritual understanding that confirms the truth of God as divine Spirit and of man as God's perfect reflection. In the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes: "We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. We must reverse our feeble flutterings—our efforts to find life and truth in matter—and rise above the testimony of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the Godlike man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being." ^{Science and Health, p. 262.}

The above passage states a rule for healing in Christian Science. A humble search of the Bible and Science and Health will reveal many such rules for prayer-based healing and the standards for Christian conduct. Besides our understanding the nature of divine reality, it is our living of the spiritual truths that provides the key to demonstrating dominion over discord, both mental and physical.

Central to the message of salvation that Christ Jesus brought to humanity is a demand for spiritual regeneration—to be made new in God's love and grace. In the gospel account of Jesus' meeting with the Pharisee Nicodemus, Jesus shows him what is required to know God's kingdom. Here is the Master's simple yet profound statement: "Ye must be born again." ^{See John 3:1–8.}

This new birth of the spirit is what comes to us today in following the way of the Saviour as best we can from moment to moment. The immediate effect of Christian Science treatment is to awaken us anew to the joy and immeasurable satisfaction of life in God, omnipotent Love. We come out into the light of a fresh day of promise, and our lives take on clear meaning, direction, purpose.

No human therapy can provide this newness of life in Christ. At best, such therapies only put off the inevitable—the need for each man and woman to come face to face with the reality of God. At worst, they deceive us into accepting more materialism as the supposed secret to mankind's happiness and thus actually imprison our joy, our hopes, our reason for living.

Your life is worth more than that—more than empty hopes and more than dreams that can't ever be fully realized. You deserve to know the healing, redeeming love of God. It is in this love that we find so much more than temporary release from whatever might ail us. We discover the saving grace that makes us new and whole—the perfect man of God's creating, who we always have been.

William E. Moody