The origin and the process of life have seemed to many the greatest of mysteries.

"What is life, and how can it persist in such a variety and under so many different conditions?" are common questions. There have been so many problems in the thought of the race concerning causes and effects that all thinkers have been searching for solutions. Much of this research has not afforded us very much light on the solution of our problems, because students have thought they were dealing with two powers -- matter and Spirit. The concept of an unknown power which is directing the process of life has given rise to the assertion, "We can take you so far, and no farther." This assertion is the last word of many scientists, philosophers, and religionists. God has been thought of through the centuries by students in various phases of human knowledge as the Great Unknown -- hence, the mystery of life!

How are we thinking about the great word Life? Are we taking it in its highest meaning? The word may be written in two different ways. Divine Science usually writes it with a capital letter; popular usage spells the word with a small letter and thinks of life as meaning everyday existence, the passing show, outer relations and activities. Out of this conception many questions arise, such as, "Why did this happen to him? What is the reason for this tragedy? Why are the lives of so many people on this earth seemingly miserable?"

Divine Science holds out a solution for all problems and an answer to all questions in a conception which interprets Life as God in action. Life written with a capital stands for the Activity of God. God is omni-active; and what God is must come forth in His activity. Since God is good, the activity of the universe of form is good; since God is love, all activity is loving; since God is power, all activity is powerful for good. God-Activity is what natural science calls the universal energy. In God-Activity you and I live, move, and have our Being. As we function in this consciousness of the oneness of the Universe, we lift the thought of the world around us. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all unto me." Jesus' words prove his faith in the power of right thinking.

Since the Presence which we call the I AM is the only Presence and Power, let us lift ourselves into that consciousness of oneness through our daily living which brings those around us into the concept of wholeness. Our thinking must be based on the affirmation, "God is all, both visible and invisible."

We are likely to think of God in the highest and the best that we know, but let us not fail to see God in the least of the things of Life; there are no high and no low in the Kingdom of God-Life, and when we think of man in the Absolute, we see that by nature, he must be Godlike, for is not man the highest expression of an infinite, all-powerful Creator? Let us apply this concept to ourselves, our families, and our friends, as well as to all the world of men; it is our obligation to keep ourselves in the most positive attitude toward the Divinity of all Life. Each one has the power to attain to the realm of Divine Consciousness, if we hold true to the vision of our unity with God.

See truth; stand for truth; affirm truth in your lives step by step. Such statements as the following show us the Divinity of Life:

God is Life.
What God is comes forth in Divine Activity.
We live, move, and have our Being in God-Life.
By Divine Power we are alive now.
I know that Life is perfect, for God is All.
Man is Living Soul, brought forth perfect in nature.
Man is divine, because he is one with God.
Man has the power to realize the truth of Being, and to
accomplish the best in every relation and activity.
Consciousness of God is the light of the world.

Why not spell Life with a capital letter? Does not Divinity include all? I am asked, "How can you say that God is all that is visible, when there is so much inharmony and imperfection in the visible?" Are you looking with the outer eye of the senses, or are you seeing with the inner eye of Spirit? It is with the inner eye that we see truth. Appearances of inharmony are the results of wrong conceptions. When the inner vision comes, we see that God is the only Creator, and that we live by the power of His consciousness, and that we are brought forth by the impelling Spirit of His Love. When you and I see imperfection, it does not mean that in this place God is working imperfectly. It is we who are seeing imperfection. God’s work is perfect; man’s conception of it is often imperfect or partial. Imperfect seeing, then, is the cause of our list of sorrows and evils.

When in the hour of silence or in the time of activity, it is possible for us to free our mentality from beliefs of limitation, and the soul, standing conscious of its oneness with God, looks out upon the universe with the God-Vision, it realizes truth. We see that the temporal experiences of sorrow and lack are the results of ignorance and are unimportant compared with the real experiences. In our earnest attempt to dissolve these misconceptions, we see that after all temporal experience is like a little shadow passing across the face of the sun. You and I are coming into the understanding of the affirmation, God is All. God is His world.

God-Mind is speaking through us.
God is working by means of man.
Divine Love is radiating through us.
God-Light is the light of the world.
There is no darkness in the Light that is illumining the Universe.
We live to serve; true service means cooperating with God in His activity.

Let us be sure that we are true to Life in its highest meaning. This very moment is the testing time; it is our opportunity to prove ourselves true by thinking to our highest and by translating our thinking into doing. Remember, it is living the Life that counts. Are you practicing the Presence? Am I? We know that God is active in this place as Living Soul; since God is active here, there is no other power to interfere with perfect expression this moment; let us not falter. Let us face the situation whatever it may be, with knowledge that the Father is doing the work. God is in this place now; hence there is no room for sickness, weakness, sin, lack.

God is in action; hence all is Life. Life is the fullness that filleth all. We live because God lives. God is living us this moment. It is easy to fall short, if we are living in the lesser conception of life which deals with outer things only, and are basing our decisions on every day happenings. If a man seems to be walking in darkness, we may be sure that it is because he is unwilling to see the light. Jesus said, "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

I read an interesting sermon recently in which the author says that you and I have a rendezvous with Life and that we must keep our engagement. What does this mean? It means that we have a rendezvous with Truth, and it lies with you and me to keep our engagement. We may exist for many years without living at all. "Clinging to existence, we may, nevertheless, refuse Life." Laziness, fear, prejudices may prevent our keeping true to our obligation. We must be alert and vital now in order to give our best. We miss Life itself through mental indolence. Fear keeps us bound to petty experiences; we are afraid to rise. Many of us have a pet rut; let us welcome the mental earthquake that comes and shakes us out of it; but why wait for the earthquake? I do not wish Life to have to force me out of my limited conceptions; I must make the effort to rise. Spiritual initiative is necessary to true living.

Life is one with truth, beauty, love, wisdom, power, joy; it is a rendezvous with goodness, courage, kindness, faithfulness, service, and it is calling you and me to action. Life is, above all, a rendezvous with God; if we do not keep it, we miss the joy of living.

What, then, is the origin of Life? Are you ready to answer the question? Infinite Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding is the origin. Hence we use a capital to emphasize the Divinity of Life. What is the process? Process is God in action. It is the working out of the universal plan. Life is all-powerful. It is God. God is not unknown or unknowable. Hence, there is no mystery; there is only infinite Love and Power in action; the expression is by law; there is no chance; neither is there secret process. God is revealed as Life.