The Problem of Service

Labor Day has come and gone, and whose heart has not been touched by its appeal? "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the dust from whence thou wast taken," such was the curse pronounced upon mortal man, the representative of life in matter.

Labor in the material sense has ever seemed a heavy burden, but as the supremacy of Mind is recognized, its curse disappears. All should serve gladly, for the choice is between service and slavery. It is noble to serve, but ignoble to be a slave, and the spirit in which all work is done determines for each individual which of the two it shall be. The hands may be moulding common clay, while the thought is fashioning some rare thing of art fit for a king's palace, the artificer meantime beholding something of "the pattern shown in the mount."

The nobility of his calling should lift every man above all baseness, for work well done glorifies the lowliest station, while work poorly done degrades the loftiest. According to this it matters little where the service is performed, the statesman and the artisan stand in precisely the same relation to divine Principle which knows no favoritism. If the dignity of labor were only seen aright, every man would be proud to emblazon upon his escutcheon the prince's motto, Ich dien, "I serve."

When true religion comes to be the law of the head and of the heart, men will know that industry, intelligence, and integrity, need no clans nor orders for the support of right, for it will be universally acknowledged that this alone is might. Even now this is partially seen and acknowledged. The workman who possesses a high degree of intelligence can set the price upon his services. The one who has ability, courage, and adaptability is ever in demand.

The history of this country, nay all history, proves beyond question that the true idea of Mind finds its own level, and if a man seems to be placed above his fellows without having taken the proper means to rise, he is out of his orbit, and must in some way pay dearly for the mistake which put him there.

If, however, all that is here claimed were generally conceded, it would yet be necessary to point the way to the realization of universal harmony which can only be reached through love for God and our fellow-men.

This was exemplified by the great Nazarene, who took his place in the carpenter's craft, but who soon rose to his rightful rank as teacher of mankind because of his understanding of Truth. According to his teaching the unerring law of right gave to the faithful servant the ten talents which he had gained, while it exposed and punished the indolence and dishonest thought of him that was unfaithful.

Christian Science will, when rightly understood, enable faith to rest securely in the absolute justice of divine Principle. It will also teach the beauty of humility which will fit men for higher levels by making them faithful where they now serve.

We should rejoice that we no longer need to think of heaven as a place where activity ceases, for reason and revelation teach the opposite of this, and St. John's vision of the new heaven and he new earth tells us that there "His servants shall serve him." The conditions described are very human, but there is no sorrow nor pain, no sin, and no death. Service can never be hard where perfect intelligence governs, and strength is ever renewed. To serve God is to serve Life,—to live in the fullest sense; it is to serve Truth,—be true in thought, word, and deed, and it is to serve Love till this "glorious crown name" is written "in their foreheads." Then cometh the reward, "well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

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A Just Judgment

September 19, 1903

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