It struck me while playing tennis a few weeks ago that there is a helpful way and unhelpful way to measure progress.
If progress is seen as a specific material state, efforts to get there can be very discouraging. For example, if progress was defined in my mind as playing at the 5.0 level in tennis, even though I’m currently playing at a 3.5 level, I could easily get frustrated, upset and depressed about my playing whenever I did not play up to a 5.0 level (which is about always). But if I measure progress in terms of how much better I’m doing today than yesterday, and I’m making sincere efforts to improve, I’ll always have reason to rejoice because I can advance my game bit by bit, day by day. Every time I improve, I have a reason to rejoice. And that’s what real progress is about—getting better. It’s not about where you are now, but where you are in comparison to where you were yesterday.
This is a valuable lesson for the student of Christian Science.
I’ve seen students who have outlined in their mind what a “successful Christian Scientist” should look like. For instance, I’ve heard students tell me they figured they should be able to heal most every problem instantaneously, always be happy and stay out of trouble…(not sure even Jesus lived up to this standard…) It’s certainly an ideal worth striving for, but when they don’t live up to their ideal, they get discouraged, frustrated, and feel like failures because they are not yet demonstrating the fullness of what they know is possible.
The cure is to get a more reasonable perspective.
Yes, instantaneous healing is possible, and it happens. Living consistently happy, for the most part, is possible, and it happens. Generally staying out of trouble happens for many too. Life does go smoother under the influence of divine Principle. But the fulfillment of these ideals takes consecrated effort, work and faithful prayer to attain, and where one starts in their demonstration may be a long way from the ideal they hope to reach. Humility and modesty are helpful aides in the journey.
Evaluating progress from a fair and reasonable point of view keeps one’s confidence strong and positive.
Progress is not where you are. It’s where you are in terms of where you were yesterday.
If you’re in a better position, if you’ve grown spiritually, if you understand God better today than yesterday, you’ve made progress and have a reason to rejoice.
Rejoice and be glad! You’ve made progress. And that is very significant.
Keep taking those spiritual steps, no matter how small they look at the time. They add up to big progress in the long run.
“Every step of progress is a step more spiritual.”
Mary Baker Eddy, People’s Idea of God, p. 1.
Evan,
You seemed to know the message I needed to hear today. It is so tempting to look to the body for evidence of healing, when all that really changes is thought.
Thank you,
Kathleen
Thank you for your lovely thoughts!
I’ve been thinking about the one line, “Trials are proof of God’s care.” I’ve been having a hard time wrapping my thinking around that one. But what you said here and what I heard last sunday at a lecture by Kevin Graunke helped make things a little clearer.
Sure, it is possible for everything to be instantaneously healed! That is the law of God. But healing is all about changing thought. It has nothing to do with fixing or changing a material body. The bodily healing is a result of the changed thought.
Maybe this is what Mrs. Eddy means by ‘trials are proof of God’s care.’ Trials and any time when the healing is not instantaneous are wonderful opportunities to take the steps required to reach the change we desire. These are the moments when we are working towards perfection. They aren’t failures.
Jesus said about a certain sickness requiring Prayer, Faith, and Fasting. That is the work that we must do. It is holy work. It is bringing our thought more in line with God step by step. That is never something to be ashamed of.
Trials are proofs of God’s care because they send us to God, and there we find His care!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Evan and each of you who have commented!
I’ve been going through a rough patch health-wise for quite some time.
But yesterday as I was feeling a bit discouraged, the thought came that “Trials are proof of God’s care”.
I remembered a time many years ago when everything was wrong. It was a time of upheaval, birth, deaths, much discord. I was very new in Christian Science, but with help from a practitioner, I clung to what I was learning to be true. The problems and grief faded away. What seemed so bad at the time was completely forgotten. Good memories from that time come to thought now. I know God was caring for me and everyone involved and still is.
That was my progress for yesterday, finally acknowledging and giving thanks for God’s loving care then and always. So glad I can see it now! Instead of a pity-party or resentment over current problems, I am trying to hold to being grateful for God’s power and presence.
Yes, I’ve longed for instantaneous healing – and sometimes have it, a happy life with no problems but will now love its promise instead of thinking I’ve failed because I haven’t achieved it all right now.
Your thoughts today brought to mind that years ago General Electric had a theme/tagline they used: “Progress is our most important product.”
Engineers and physical scientists worked hard to improve things, which was progress. It didn’t happen over night and it took work with the scientific laws they had to work with. The same can be said for Christian scientists who use God’s laws to improve thought and therefore manifestations of improved health, finances, relations etc.
As you say, comparing where we are today with where we were yesterday is a good measurement; but if there doesn’t seem to be improvement, the work doesn’t stop… at GE or in life!
Thanks for your encouraging topics!
Lovely post; heartfelt replies.
I immediately thought of part of the conversation with Georgia Bulloch that I read this morning in the June issue of The Christian Science Journal.
On p. 26, the interviewer, Suzanne Smedley, asks, “And no one needs to feel they’re a failure because they face a challenge or sickness, like Hezekiah, do they? In fact, a friend and mentor once reminded me that we should never be ashamed of our cross. That was such a helpful thought.”
Bulloch responds, “Trouble is not a penalty. As we progress, through our schooling for instance, each year it gets progressively harder. That’s because we are growing, and we are able to do more. We can take on more challenges. We’re more useful. It’s easy to get bogged down, and see only challenges, but we can handle them. In the business world, there are people who are called troubleshooters. They’re equipped to handle big challenges, and they’ve proved that they can deal with them. So as we progress spiritually, and perhaps feel as if we have more demands to meet, we can ward off the temptation to be discouraged,and turn it completely around. We can see challenges as an opportunity to demonstrate what we’ve been learning. So we can maintain our joy in our journey Spiritward even in the midst of challenges. God is our helper.”
There’s more…. and it’s all so GOOD!
God bless us all, through our each and every progress-filled challenge.