Jesus said (John viii. 51), “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” That statement is not confined to spiritual life, but includes all the phenomena of existence. (Science and Health 429:31-2. Emphasis added.)

In Watches, Prayers, Arguments, it tells how Mrs. Eddy’s handling of death included all the phenomena of existence. “One day Mrs. Eddy said to a student, ‘Are you working?’ He began to tell of his hours of study and work. She said, ‘When you see old age, do you declare that Life is eternal activity, beauty and joy? When you see the leaves falling and hear the wind blow, do you declare that there is no change, decay or cold? When you see deformity and disease, do you declare that man is made in the image and likeness of God?’ The student answered, ‘Mrs. Eddy, I am not working.’”

I realized that I needed to declare the same when I look in the mirror and see my grey hair, or wrinkles on my face, or when I see a decaying flower or blighted bud, or when I’m tempted to celebrate a New Year’s Eve that ends a year, or any whisper or hint of death or ending anywhere. Like that student, I realized that I also had to answer, “I am not working.”