Article July 23, 1921 Issue

The Activity of Love

CARRA L. THORESON

True activity is the utilization or expression of the qualities of Spirit, such as love, unselfishness, meekness, kindness, happiness, thoughtfulness for others. The divine Mind expresses its activity through man, and cannot express anything but good. The false beliefs of disease, injustice, dishonesty, lack, and discord, with all their accompanying misery, recognized as real by the material senses, are not true activity. They are but the supposititious opposites of the real and true qualities of Mind, expressed as health, justice, honesty, abundance, harmony. Infinite Love, knowing only the truth, cannot know anything about these false beliefs; hence man, as God's image and likeness, knows them not. These mortal beliefs cannot really prevent the apprehension of the beauty of God's universe with its infinite, harmonious activity. They reign in human selfhood alone; hence the elimination of self is imperative if we would emulate the selfless love and activity of the Christ. God, divine Love, the only real, active power, is never for an instant separate from His creation, and, as His law operates unceasingly, He is ever pouring out good and good only to His idea, which receives constantly, therefore, without limitation the abundance of good.

On page 187 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy declares, "The divine Mind includes all action and volition, and man in Science is governed by this Mind." The lucidity of this statement is unsurpassed. It follows, then, that the divine Mind alone can form and determine a purpose, the accomplishment of which must be expressed through His image and likeness, man. Mrs. Eddy also writes in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 189), "The government of divine Love derives its omnipotence from the love it creates in the heart of man; for love is allegiant, and there is no loyalty apart from love;" and again, on page 268, "This time-world flutters in my thought as an unreal shadow, and I can only solace the sore ills of mankind by a lively battle with 'the world, the flesh and the devil,' in which Love is the liberator and gives man the victory over himself." The power of Love to liberate from all the ills of the flesh, as well as from all mental disturbances, has been accurately demonstrated thousands upon thousands of times in the history of Christian Science.

As we recognize Love as all-powerful, ever present, and ever operative, admitting no suggestion of some other power, we are given the victory over false beliefs. All down the ages the law of Love has actively operated, alleviating suffering and woe wherever there was found a spiritual grasp of the truth, the vision of the Christ. When the children of Israel, camping by the sea, looked up and saw their enemies in close pursuit of them, they were so frightened that they cried aloud to the Lord to help them. Then they reproached Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, saying that it would have been better had they stayed and served the Egyptians. And what was Moses' answer? "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day .... The Lord shall flight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Moses realized that divine Love was ever present, encompassing their camp, operating to deliver them; and the proof soon came, for the waters of the sea divided as Moses, governed by divine intelligence, gave the command, enabling the Israelites to pass over on dry land, while the pursuing enemies were engulfed in the returning waters.

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