Article January 6, 1912 Issue

WORKING OUT ONE'S PROBLEM

CARL HORTON PIERCE.

Sometimes, among people who are just coming into Christian Science, a remarkable healing takes place as a result of the young Scientist's own reflection of the truth. For this he gives due credit and gratitude to God. Then the next problem arises, and possibly it is not met instantaneously, in which case the tendency of some beginners is either to doubt the efficacy of the Principle or else to say: "I wonder why God does not heal me," or some other complaint.

It is sometimes comforting to turn back to the days of arithmetic for a parallelism which may be of service to us in answering these questions. One remembers that after he had worked out a hard problem and had gotten the right answer, he turned to the next problem, to study it, to get all its properties into shape and to delve into the axioms relating to it before even thinking of arriving at the right conclusion. So, in every life-problem there is need of this preparation, of probation, of positive holding to the truth of the situation prior to arriving at the answer. True, in some instances the whole situation may be so clear from start to finish that the answer comes almost instantaneously, yet, by reason of education, training, and environment, there usually seem to be certain problems which are not at once clear to us; problems which require the application of reason and logic as well as faith. In such instances it is well to remember that there is nothing the matter with Principle. Principle is certain, unchangeable, final, complete; we are but trying to unfold our understanding of it. To question, then, or to complain, or to be discouraged because such a one did this problem instantaneously, is fatuous, is it not?

Some one has said that the surest and quickest means of getting into a frame of thought where one is able to receive a blessing is to be grateful for the blessings which we see come to others. The human heart would seemingly reverse this and make us envious and jealous of another's demonstration and triumph. But when this claim of envy and jealousy is clearly seen, and gratitude is rendered every time we hear of the success of a brother or sister, then the quality of thought is obtained through which God works, to do the same things through us. Is it not true that some of us, on learning of another's success in business or healing, begin at once to try to account for it by saying: "Well, he had such and such advantages that I have never had"? In other words, we at once begin to think about our brother's problem instead of our own; whereas, the opposite attitude of gratitude, instead of comparison, would put us into the state of receptivity for which we have been working and which is necessary in order to obtain a correct answer to our own problem.

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WORKING OUT ONE'S PROBLEM

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