Dominion Within

He that ruleth his own spirit is better than he that taketh a city. — Adapted from Prov. 16:32.

Christian Science teaches that God is infinite Person, infinite individuality; that He is the unbounded consciousness. (See Science and Health, p. 330.) It is well for us to spend a portion of our time in trying to rise into some sense of that unbounded consciousness, that sense of freedom from limitation whereby we may endeavor to know God in His wholeness; but the endeavor to become conscious of God in His infinity is usually not the best means of realizing those present and particular manifestations of Him which we need to realize in order to meet certain problems that confront us.

God is ever-present good; and He is manifested in the specific good as well as in general good. Often what we need to realize are those specific manifestations of good which in our limited state of belief we are more readily able to comprehend. For example, if we seem to be threatened with a lack of money to meet our needs, or with lack of supply of any kind, or with disaster in business, and the thought of this is troubling us, we should stand still where we are, or retire to our closet, and “have it out” with the one evil then and there, or just as soon as possible, by knowing and declaring that the ever-present law of God, good, the ever-present fact for the children of God, is plentiful supply.

The truth is, that as plenty is man’s birthright, plenty is the present fact for those who accept the truth; and error, false sense, cannot make us believe to the contrary. If we realize this fact long enough and clearly enough, so that it becomes vital to us, we shall have entered into peace and joy, and error will no longer argue fear to us. If, even by a single moment’s realization of the truth, we have permanently healed our consciousness, — cast out fear, and brought in the abiding sense of security and joy, — our outward affairs will take care of themselves in due season. We do not need, beyond ordinary prudence and common sense, to trouble ourselves about the external arrangement or disposition of material things, or to be anxious about negotiations with our fellow-men. Our one problem is to maintain a whole consciousness, devoid of fear, resting in God as the abundant and infallible source of supply; then the outward things will be added unto us.

Christian Science also teaches us to know that health, strength, sight, and hearing, or any other special manifestation of God, good, from which we may seem to be cut off, are present and unchangeable facts of our true selfhood, and that error cannot make us believe to the contrary or make us fear the further seeming loss of any of these manifestations of good. If we heal our own consciousness, so that we have no further sense of fear, but are able to rest with a sense of security and joy in the fact that the special manifestation of good which we desire is a present and indestructible fact, that is all we need to be concerned about. The physical manifestation will duly take care of itself, and harmony will be realized where before discord was apparent. It was never more than an appearance; for God, the sole creator, never made any discord, but rather established harmony as the eternal law and the eternal fact; and so it is. At the creation “God said, Let there be light; and there was light;” and the light (the good) remains to this day, while its opposite, darkness, in reality does not exist.

We should not be anxious for the morrow or about any outward things, either supplies for daily need or health of the body; but we should seek first the kingdom of God, which is “at hand” and “within you,” and His righteousness (right thinking and feeling, knowledge of the truth, and love devoid of fear), and all these outward things will be added unto us. We should be willing to be “absent from the body” in thought; we should not worry about it, nor try to cure it by taking thought about it. We should not try to control the body by our thought; we should try only to control our consciousness by meditating on God and His law. Thus we shall be “present with the Lord,” and the body will soon manifest harmony.

Whatever of health or wealth we gain apart from conscious reliance upon God while we are gaining them is worthless.