Building a new life
People in many parts of the world are confronted with expulsion from their countries and homes, with loss of families and jobs. They anxiously struggle to build a new life.
The Apostle Paul said of God, "In him we live, and move, and have our being." n1 Man's real existence is right now at one with God, divine Life. Man is God's spiritual reflection.The assumption that man is material is a misinterpretation of God's immortal creation. May Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes, "the difference between a belief of material existence and the spiritual fact of Life is, that the former is a dream and unreal, while the latter is real and eternal." n2
n1 Acts 17:28;
n2 Miscellaneous Writings,m p. 42;
What is seen on earth of man's true life in God comes through the gradual comprehension of the nature of Deity and His representative. In deepening understanding we overcome our doubts and discover that man is spiritually maintained by his creator. To make people more aware of this fact, Christ Jesus called God "Father." He said, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." n3 Man does not live in a material form and then, if he is very brave and good, go over into a spiritual, uplifted condition. Man exists right now in his full being; he coexists with God. All that he has and is proceeds from God, from divine Principle. Man can never be expelled from this holy state.
n3 Matthew 6:8;
People may feel at a loss for the means to continue, either financially or emotionally, if they suddenly find themselves without home, job, family. But man reflects spiritual abundance. He expresses intelligence, peace, and harmony. His life is limitless. Should the material senses appear to justify fear or doubt, we can know that our true and only life -- reflecting immortal, divine Life -- cannot be stopped or even interrupted.
If one finds himself, say, in a new culture looking for a job, he can be assured that the possibilities of expressing spiritual qualities are endless. One can practice and demonstrate his God-given talents -- inspiration, wisdom, love, integrity -- anywhere. They unfold under God's care. As we live our loyalty to God, we will find ourselves becoming more alert to opportunities around us to be useful.
We never need to fear the future when we realize the facts of God's creation and live in accord with them. Man's life is the ceaseless unfolding of the infinite glory of divine Life. Living with this fact can do much to ensure our safety as well as our progress. Mrs. Eddy declares, "Man's real life or existence is in harmony with Life and its glorious phenomena." n4
n4 Mis.,m p. 105.
In reality no one has ever had a merely material existence. Man's life is spiritual, ordered, without interruption or lack of good. Human affairs will show harmony as we gain the realization that God is responsible for all being, and turn in trust to everlasting Spirit. Because he is spiritual, man cannot perish.
To settle the conflict and doubt, or erase the effects of loss and expulsion, quietly trust and make room in your consciousness for God, divine Life. It may take time and patience until we entirely awake to the knowledge of who we are as God's children. But each trial actually provides a way to prove that fact -- a way for us to step forward into the constant freshness of real being, leaving behind the wearisome and exhausting picture of a dreamlike existence. DAILY BIBLE VERSE Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.But be ye glad to rejoice for ever in that which I create. Isaiah 65:17, 18
