Perfection now

The Roman god Janus, for whom the month of January is named, is usually pictured with two heads placed back to back, enabling him to see in two directions simultaneously. Many of us, Janus-like, look back longingly on the past or hopefully to the future as representing more good than the present. We may feel, ''Things were (or will be) so perfect then.''

But the Bible declares, ''Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.'' n1 And Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, observes, ''We own no past, no future, we possess only now.'' n2

n1 II Corinthians 6:12.

n2 The First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, p. 12. on of this truth can be a practical help, whatever the challenge. We have access now to God's love, to His healing power, to His constant provision, and throughout the Bible we find illustrations of that fact.

For example, Christ Jesus, understanding the immediacy of God's power and the perfection of man as His likeness, assured the woman bowed together for many years, ''Thou art loosed from thine infirmity.'' n3 And she was immediately free. To the man at the pool of Bethesda who had been waiting thirty-eight years for his healing, the Master said, ''Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.'' n4 And he did.

n3 Luke 13:12.

n4 John 5:8.

By these and countless other healings the great Way-shower proved that in divine reality there is no interruption or postponement of good. Spiritual perfection, manifesting the nature of God, is the true state of being, the eternal fact of life, unaffected by any mistaken, material view of existence. Though we can't see this perfect reality with material eyes, we can help, however modestly, to bring it to light, humbly following the Master's example. Even a glimpse of spiritual perfection can bring encouragement and healing, just as a tiny crocus can be a harbinger of spring.

We may feel so far from perfection now as to make claiming it seem conceited or even dishonest. But we must acknowledge the spiritual facts in order to attain them. Claiming our spiritual, perfect identity - knowing it to be the present fact of our being as a child of God - enables us to progressively attain our rightful heritage.

In Christ Jesus' statement ''Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect'' n5 we see the basis for the claim of perfection: the Father. A perfect creator would naturally produce a perfect creation; a creation without flaw - wholly good, like the creator. This concept is, of course, quite different from a strictly material view of things. Which concept should we hold to if we wish to see more perfection in our lives?

n5 Matthew 5:48.

A woman with an unsightly skin condition that caused much discomfort and embarrassment kept thanking God for her perfection despite what she saw in the mirror. She thought of the grotesque appearance as a mask - no part of her real identity. She was grateful for the unmasking of evil through Christian Science, the exposure of it as mere hypnotism, suggestion, illusion, nothingness - the totality of unreality. Within a few days the skin condition had vanished, never to return.

Each of us can rejoice in the spiritual fact that all is now as God would have it. Perfection now! DAILY BIBLE VERSE As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him . . . God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfeft Samuel 22:31

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to Perfection now
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0324/032444.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe