Editorial August 18, 1917 Issue

Rest

Annie M. Knott

There is perhaps nothing which mortals so often crave as that which they call rest; and as the burdens of false belief multiply, they sometimes cry out, as did Job, that they might find this rest even in the grave. Not so, however, did our Master teach, for in the very midst of his most strenuous experiences, when he was holding aloft the torch of Truth, and when the carnal mind was doing its utmost to extinguish its brave light,—even then did he say, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

From this utterance we learn that there is nothing wrong about our desiring and seeking rest. On the contrary, it would be wrong if we did not do so; but unless we have a true—that is, a spiritual—concept of rest, it will only disappoint us, and will make it seem that no good thing is attainable. On page 519 of Science and Health our revered Leader says: "God rests in action. ... The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work." The mortal concept of rest really implies stagnation, hence it has no relation whatever to life, which must be expressed through perfect activity.

Work in Christian Science always means renewed strength, and we have many hints of this even on the human plane. No one would venture to argue that an indolent person could ever become strong either mentally or physically, because it is undeniable that the constant and rightful exercise of our divinely bestowed faculties is what develops the human mind and body and makes every good attainment possible. As we rise to the highest spiritual understanding of life and its possibilities, the true idea of rest will grow upon us, and we shall find ourselves able to apply the Master's teachings along this line, as well as those of our Leader given in Science and Health and her other writings. We shall find that as we drop the old mistaken concept of man's possibilities, which assumed that strength was so limited that its exercise for a short time was apt to leave one exhausted, we shall be ready to see the truth which is its opposite.

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