Article April 24, 1920 Issue

Encouragement

GERALDINE NELSON

Encouragement is just an ordinary, everyday word, and yet when analyzed it comprises and means a great deal. Encouragement is a positive quality and condemnation, an opposite, is a negative one, which never has accomplished, never will, and never can accomplish anything. Sometimes to gain some spiritual enlightenment one looks up definitions and is metaphysically helped thereby. Now encouragement serves to incite to action; it also supports and advances. Likewise one who encourages helps forward. The study of Christian Science means action, supporting and advancing good, and an increase in confidence is gained, therefore, which is an advancement toward the goal. Jesus was a man of action. "I must be about my Father's business," he said. Again, this study helps forward, for the simple reason that it cannot go backward, and it breaks down all barriers that would obstruct it on its journey.

In instructing, especially children, one learns how the positive quality encouragement when applied helps to bring good results, where the negative seemingly exercised will have exactly the opposite effect. Fear and lack of courage and of confidence to undertake a new task would prevent a talent from being unfolded. But one little word of encouragement given when needed will dispel these negative qualities, and with the unfoldment of the positive God-given abilities the talents will increase rightly. By working along the lines of encouragement character is being unfolded and a spiritual foundation is being laid.

Sometimes it only means just one little step forward to win a battle, though it may need many phases of encouragement dexterously applied to forward that step, and here patience, love, and simplicity must be practiced as attributes of Mind. Mrs. Eddy states in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 454), "Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept. Patience must 'have her perfect work.'" The children are ever ready to listen to something new; their readiness to accept truth in whatever form presented encourages their teachers. Their activity when intelligently directed leads to greater spiritual progress, where others with stubborn beliefs find it difficult to grasp the truth and if it were possible would gladly exchange their own for the simple thoughts of the child, who makes rapid strides toward the real. The poor wise man who delivered the city, mentioned in the Bible, must necessarily have used some simple statements of Truth, because the city was delivered by his work. The writer has gone forward by applying simple methods audibly or otherwise as the case demanded, thus breaking down a whole army of resentful thoughts.

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