Article September 21, 1918 ISSUE

"And it was so"

EDITH MAUDE ELLIS

Christian Scientists are often accused of being unsympathetic because they will not talk sickness and even try not to listen to it. The mental pictures conjured up during this sort of conversation are often very trying to those who are conscientiously trying to work out their problems in Science. Anyone who is just beginning to taste the joy of helping others, and perhaps has not sufficient spiritual understanding to know how to destroy these mental pictures before they become "imaged forth on the body" (Science and Health, p. 411) will do well to avoid entering into or encouraging conversation along the lines of sickness or its symptoms, and the like.

An experience which I had a few years ago points to this. One of the children in my Sunday school class asked me one day to help her to overcome a physical ailment, which, though quite common to children in the general belief, is a very distressing one and often of long duration. I promised to do my best, and directly I got home I went straight to the Lesson-Sermon for help in realizing the truth which would make the child free. In the Lesson for that week there were many readings from the first chapter of Genesis, and as I read the whole chapter through I was quickly able to correct the material belief of discord with the spiritual understanding of what constitutes man in the image and likeness of God. The clear sense of God's perfect spiritual creation so wonderfully portrayed in that chapter reminded me that Spirit, God, is the only creator. In the twenty-sixth verse we read that man was given dominion, and as I was trying to free the child from error this dominion was clearly seen, trustingly claimed, and joyfully put to the test.

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