Article May 13, 1916 Issue

Joy of Love

JANE ADAMS SELDER

During the early years of her study in Christian Science the writer often wondered why the joy which so many find in Christian Science was not a part of her experience, and impelled by her contact with others who she felt sure had found this joy, she began a faithful study of Mrs. Eddy's writings with the solution of this question in view. During this study it became clear that the absence of joy came from a lack of love, and she found that she had been trying to understand divine Love without first learning to love her fellow man. That this love was necessary was proven from the statement on page 234 of "Miscellaneous Writings," where Mrs. Eddy tells us that "in love for man, we gain a true sense of Love as God; and in no other way can we reach this spiritual sense, and rise—and still rise—to things most essential and divine." It thus became apparent that we must enter by this door, even as the apostle says, "He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"

The question then arose, How can we have this love? An answer to this came in Jesus' words to Simon the Pharisee, namely, "To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." Christian Science teaches that "sin is forgiven only as it is destroyed" (Science and Health, p. 5); hence we must look to the destruction of sin for this better sense of love. Christian Science also teaches that we are to look into our own thought for the error which needs to be destroyed, and not at our neighbor. The phase of evil which most often blinds us is that of criticism. It seems so easy to criticize even the testimonies offered at the Wednesday evening meetings, if they are given in terms which do not meet with our approval, and thus we are straining at gnats and swallowing camels, a fault which undoubtedly comes from a lack of love. We may also rob ourselves of many valuable lessons which are to be found in the articles appearing in our Christian Science publications, by thinking that they are for those less advanced than ourselves.

The writer can truthfully say that an effort to overcome this one phase of error has brought rich reward, and she can see a little more clearly "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us," thus learning that only as we love those who do not see just as we do, and leave all questions to Principle for decision, are we worthy to be "called the sons of God." This cannot be made plainer than it is on page 117 of "Miscellaneous Writings," where our dear Leader tells us that "we see eye to eye and know as we are known, reciprocate kindness and work wisely, in proportion as we love."

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