Article December 27, 1913 Issue

Seeming Standstill

ANNA GOERITZ

In a testimony meeting a lady expressed her gratitude for an experience whereby a seeming standstill in spiritual growth had become to her an incitement to greater progress. This thought was my companion for several days. Then I happened to turn over the leaves of a botanical book, when my eyes met the illustration of a corn-stalk in its various stages of development, and at once the above-mentioned thought became quite clear to me; the growing corn had become a symbol of our growth in the understanding of Christian Science.

When the young plant first leaves the ground, it springs up as a light green blade; but soon its growth is arrested, for it has to form a joint that shall become a support for the next section of the hollow stalk. After a little while this new piece stops growing so that a second joint may be formed, and the process is repeated as many times as is required to give the stalk its full height, which varies from one to two meters. Such a height is necessary in order that the stalk may present all sides of the springing ear to the sunbeams and so ripen into a perfect maturity. Without these supporting joints, which always seem to cause a temporary standstill in its growth, the stalk would never be able to bear the ear which in ripening becomes heavier each day.

This development typifies our spiritual growth. The first steps in Christian Science are generally fresh and light, but very soon apparent difficulties spring up, and our advancement is not so smooth as we thought it in the beginning. Then we have to learn that Christian Science makes demands upon us which we must obey if we want to pursue the way upon which we have entered. This may whisper discouragement, for progress seems to halt, and we see no possibility of getting on; but this very condition of mind turns into a blessing, if it leads us to enter upon a serious self-examination. The new demands are so much greater than those made upon us hitherto, that mortal mind is not able to fulfil them, indeed it can scarcely understand them, and we feel that we need help, since our human thought and will are no longer sufficient, as they seemed to be in former times, for the solution of our problems; but in the degree that this becomes clear to us, a feeling of humility takes its rightful place in our hearts, and humility is an essential condition for every progressive Christian Scientist.

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