Article August 14, 1920 Issue

Count Your Blessings

ALBERT E. BARNARD

WHENEVER a certain student of Christian Science finds the way a bit difficult, and problems do not seem to be solved so quickly as they should be, he harks back to the day when he was healed of very severe inflammatory rheumatism; for that was the day he caught the first real glimpse of God. The circumstance was as follows: Practically over night the argument of this false belief appeared to bind him in iron chains, so that on the following morning he could scarcely move limb or muscle. This student was occupying at the time a rather active and responsible position in a large business establishment, and his first thought was that he should be at his desk, that it was the one period of the year when he could least be spared from his post. And so, being new and uninstructed in Christian Science, he called for a practitioner to set him on his feet at once.

For four days absent treatment was given, but no appreciable results seemed apparent. On the fifth day she asked the patient this startling question: "Have you ever counted your blessings?" His reply was in the negative, coupled with the declaration that his chief concern was to be cured so that he could return to business. As a result of her patient insistence, however, that he devote the afternoon to counting up and giving thought to everything for which he should be grateful, he agreed to accept the prescription.

The ultimate effect was wonderful. The student opened the gates in accord with what Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 201), "The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love," and the blessings presented themselves so rapidly he had to call for pad and pencil in order to write them down. The hand that had seemed to be in a vise the day before formed the words on the paper without effort or pain. And the list kept on growing. Page one, page two, page three were filled with reasons why he should be positively grateful instead of languidly indifferent. "Where do all these blessings come from?" thought he. And as the sunlight of Truth broke in upon his thought he came face to face, for the first time, with a realization of what God is, and the steel-like grip of false belief that had entangled his free limbs began to weaken.

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