Article June 5, 1909 Issue

TEMPTATIONS

WALTER SHAW.

Jesus once said, in effect, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, among his own kin, and that a man's foes are those of his own household. It is quite possible that the force of the latter remark has sometimes been felt to be peculiarly true by the student of Christian Science. One will say, "If you only knew what conditions I have to endure in the home, the family opposition, or the peculiarities of my business, you would understand how difficult it is for me to progress in Science." To entertain the sense of reality in opposition, however, is to give it power; and we may perhaps profitably inquire, What is our household? Is it not something beyond our domestic evironment and business life? The thoughts we hold and the mental attitude we occupy, these are our true habitation. Hence the psalmist's assurance for him "that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High." Our great Master, in passing through the many phases of our humanity, was, Paul tells us, "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." The little glimpse we get of the home life of Jesus is instructive. Some of his brothers evidently did not believe him to be the Christ, and once ventured to direct him as to what course he should take next. To the Master's human sense, surely such an attitude of thought must have been distressing at times, and hard to bear, especially with all the proofs he had given them of his Messiahship.

The human longing to be understood by those whose affections we value sometimes appears to meet with slow response. A helpful thought given by a student in this regard is that God always understands us, and we may well rejoice that, through the teachings of our Leader, we are also growing to understand Him. This fact surely more than compensates for the temporary loss of some human friendships. If the great Wayshower murmured not, we students of Christian Science should not complain, but rejoice if permitted to share his "cup of sorrowful effort" (Science and Health, p. 26). Our problem is to work out of this material sense of life, and to the human self it can hardly prove a pleasant process. It is easy to talk about putting off "the old man with his deeds," but in practice it involves "many sacrifices of self to save us from sin" (Ibid., p. 23). as our Leader has pointedly told us.

The old way of encouraging self-pity, self-love, and a sense of heroic martyrdom has to be eliminated. Often this "Old man" resents being put off, and endavors vigorously to reassert his seeming reality. Mrs. Eddy says in "Miscellaneous Writings," "The warfare with one's self is grand" (p. 118), but the student sometimes finds it difficult to "rejoice all the rugged way" (Ibid., p. 398). until he remembers that verse in our Hymnal (p. 127):—

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TEMPTATIONS

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