UNDERSTANDING THE BODY
JESUS SAYS, “Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) Paul says, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God . . . glorify God therefore in your body.” (I Cor. 6:19-20) Unity says, “God in the midst of you is mighty to quicken, to cleanse, to heal, to restore to wholeness, to prosper. Look within yourself, to the Christ mind, for the light that will flood your soul and enable you to see yourself and your affairs in right relation to God and your fellows.”
Seeing is the discerning capacity of the mind. By taking time for quiet meditation, and by confidently claiming oneness with God-Mind, we keep the avenues of our mind open to the divine plan for us. There is a divine law of mind action, that we may conform to, and that will always bring satisfactory results. Now, there is also a physical side to the operation of this divine law. The body and its needs must have our consideration. We must not drive the body or neglect its normal needs.
This body is the result of our use of God-given faculties and powers. We have needed such a temple, and the soul has built it. Sometimes we fail to remember that the temple is for the use of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the belief in lack, or darkness, or time comes in to cause us to do things not good for the body temple. When there is evidence of disobedience, we should not seek to whip the body into submission and comfort by outer means or by mental treatment. We should prayerfully seek the understanding of the soul’s need and bring ourselves into harmony with God-Mind.
Sometimes we become so intent upon some outer form of success that we keep our eyes fixed upon the partial good. Sometimes that which we undertake does not progress as we had dreamed, and we are tempted to see walls of limitation or the darkness of opposition. Sometimes in the effort to accomplish that which we feel we must do we are unfair to the body, until it calls a halt.
Whatever the cause of the appearance of negation, turning the attention Godward, with willingness to look into all phases of daily living and to make such adjustments as are wise and loving toward the body, will quickly relieve all strain and congestion and allow the free flow of life to renew nerves and structures. The body responds to changes of mind; and when this is accompanied by truly wise living habits, the conformity to true ideas of life and power and love and substance and intelligence will renew and make it every whit whole.
We must see the life of God in our flesh. Any form of denial of God life and intelligence or of the physical organism, any thought of the flesh other than as of God’s pure substance, congests and irritates the body. This is double-mindedness, which consists in believing in evil as well as good, in perceiving and thinking about evil, or undesirable conditions, or lack, or failure, or calamity of any sort. Double-mindedness weakens the eyes and dims the vision, and we do not clearly perceive that which is our perfection in God-Mind.
To look about one and see evil and imperfection is sinful. That which we mentally stamp a thing is registered in our own flesh.
The eye is the outer evidence of the ability of the mind to discern and understand. A strong, unclouded, perceiving, and discerning mind attuned to Truth is manifest in strong, healthy eyes and clearness of sight; for one who perceives the Truth will live by the law of Truth.
“I am God ... the Holy One in the midst of thee.” (Hos. 11:9)
God in the midst of us is mighty, and when we look toward Him in faith, He binds up, harmonizes, and strengthens whatever places need to be adjusted and restored. God, the Holy One in the midst of us, is that power which creates and is irresistible to renew and to make wholeness manifest. When we are full of faith and co-operate with this restoring principle of our being, God’s work of restoration never ceases its activity in us. He seeks always to restore harmony, strength, life, wholeness in that which He has created. Our holding thoughts like these and communing with the indwelling Presence in the silence gives to the healing Christ within the best possible opportunity to do His work quickly. We do not at a time of renewal overtax the body and its energies, because we need to use the vigorous life of Spirit to build up our body temple. Let us pour out upon our organism blessings of praise for the good work it is doing in establishing wholeness. Let us think of ourselves as already manifesting perfection in mind, soul, and body, and give thanks that divine order is now established.
“I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” (Gen. 17:1)
The Father within is saying, “Be thou perfect”; and His word has fulfilled its mission of restoring the body with His own vital livingness.
