Article February 2, 2015 Issue

Looking past the window dressing of materialism

Lynn Knapp

The recent Christmas holiday reminded me of a tradition my family had when I was a child. Every year at Christmastime, we drove to downtown St. Louis and parked near two big department stores. We walked around and viewed their windows, which were decorated with animated figures in Christmas settings. Holiday music added to the excitement. My brother, sisters, and I were fascinated with the sights and sounds.

Those department stores used what’s known as window dressing to encourage shoppers to come inside and purchase gifts. My dictionary includes a second definition of window dressing: “Statements, actions, or display designed to make something seem better than it really is.”

This second definition speaks to me of my experience when I left Christian Science as a young adult. While growing up, I had attended the Christian Science Sunday School, where I learned that I was God’s child and that I could trust Him to care for me. This truth was proved many times in healings I had as a child.

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