Article December 11, 1915 Issue

Giving

IRENE ELLIS POOLE

To those of us who sometimes feel hampered with the sense that we have nothing at all to give, Peter left a splendid example. When the lame man "whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful" asked alms of him, Peter did not say he was sorry that he had nothing to give him. Rather did he say, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Then we are told that "immediately his feet and bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." What gift of gold could have meant so much to the lame man as this great healing word? It set him free physically, as free as any other man to earn his own living, and above all it must have given him a priceless sense of the presence and power of God.

As Christian Scientists we are never without something to give, any more than Peter was, for this same healing truth compasses all time and fills all space. If we are reflecting the divine Mind as we should, there will never be a time when we have not some helpful thought or cheering word to give to another. No matter in what form sin, or lack may confront us, we have the right to declare, mentally at least, that "the enslavement of man is not legitimate," and that "there is no power apart from God" (Science and Health, p. 228). Besides giving the right thought to every situation, let us be awake to what we have to share with others, if we only pass on our Christian Science literature. In our church work we have much besides money to give. There is a great need for us to give to others the proofs which have come to us that Christian Science does heal. If we realized what an opportunity we have to share our blessings with all mankind, there could never be a pause in our Wednesday evening meetings. We can never know how much the giving of one testimony may mean to some one else.

An experience proved to me that when the need is for financial support, the earnest desire to give will do much. One night a business meeting was called in our church edifice for the purpose of considering the needs of another Christian Science church then being built in our city. I went with the feeling that I had nothing but my presence to give in support of the meeting, but I left the church with a deep desire to do some kind of work which would enable me to give to this cause. My opportunities for work seemed very limited, but I tried to rise above this sense of limitation, knowing that if my desire to give was sincere, the way would be opened up; and an opportunity for work came to me almost immediately. I could not have planned work for myself which would have brought me so much pleasure in the doing. To me it was a beautiful proof of what Mrs. Eddy says on page 1 of Science and Health: "Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires." The desire to give is a sign of true awakening in a Christian Scientist, for our Master said: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Let us then be ever ready to say with Peter, "Such as I have give I thee."

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