Progress is spiritual. Progress is the maturing conception of divine Love; it demonstrates the scientific, sinless life of man and mortal’s painless departure from matter to Spirit, not through death, but through the true idea of Life, — and Life not in matter but in Mind.
~ Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellany, p. 181
If you’d like to make real progress this year, seek spiritual progress above all else. It will get you to the best places the fastest!
This is the perfect focus I need today.
With overflowing gratitude!
Thank you, Evan for this reminder. It makes me think of this passage from Science and Health:
239:16
“To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning.”
Each day I am making progress in God’s goodness. When we relie on Him completely in all that we do. He directs our Path.
Progress means more Love and less fear.. Less of “me” and more of “Him”… what a beautiful life unfolds for us as we truly rid ourselves of that mortal self and find ourselves in Love itself..
Very appreciated! Less of ‘me’ and more of ‘Him,’ God, God’s health, God’s relationships, God’s substance, God’s government of all in loving harmony. Yes.
As I thought about the subject of seeking Spiritual progress and all the insightful comments from everyone, what came to me that Spiritual Progress is falling into the arms of Divine Love
John thanks for “more Love and less fear” and “less of ‘me’ and more of Him.” We can never go wrong following this advice.
Also loved in Mrs. Eddy’s quote above that she mentions a painless departure from matter into Spirit. This contradicts error which often tries to make us feel weary and believe that life is full of painful struggles. That is an erroneous suggestion about the children of the most high God.
I read somewhere that we should ponder what is divinely natural for the children of God. In looking up this idea I came across an article – Healing is Divinely Natural. It is natural for the children of God to see what is true and what is false.
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/27ur8v2wm2c
Rose, thank you for your comments and also the excellent article. I looked up the word natural and some of the definitions are: normal, innate, ordinary, everyday, established, etc. It’s very encouraging and expectant then to think of healing as natural.
‘Progress’:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1u028cj1qii?s=e
Mary Baker Eddy writes in Miscellaneous Writings, pg.160:10-11, “There is a special joy in knowing that one is gaining constantly in the knowledge of Truth and divine Love.”
Genesis 5: 24 “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” Enoch was translated. For him to experience this “painless departure from matter to Spirit” he must have grown steadily from sense to Soul over what appeared to be a mortal life span of 365 years! Mary Baker Eddy says on pg. 308 of Science and Health, “The Soul inspired patriarchs heard the voice of Truth, and talked with God as consciously as man talks with man.” Through listening to the voice of Truth, Enoch attained the full stature of dominion over the impediments of life in matter, and become a pure and radiant transparency of divine Love. Enoch has left us a legacy, a precedent, and a model for the glorious possibilities of spiritual development and progress here.