Article October 28, 1922 Issue

Unseeing Material Selfhood

ANNA E. SHERMAN

What is self? Webster's dictionary defines it as "an individual considered as an identical person; a being regarded as having personality." The writer used to think of this material personage as "the real me," — all there was, or the main part of self, and a very important part at that; for physiology measures the value and strength of a person by bone, blood, muscle, and heart. But there came a time when it was discovered that the human body, when dissolved in a chemical process, is made up of eighty-five per cent of organic and inorganic matter, with about fifteen per cent of water added. What a revelation it was, when the truth about this self was revealed, — that it is only the counterfeit, the material sense of self, since the real man is the reflection of God! For does not the Bible say that "in him we live, and move, and have our being"? Through the divine rights that come with this relationship, man continually reflects the allness of God, the attributes of divine Life, Mind, and Love.

An endless debt of gratitude pours forth for the teachings of Christian Science, as given in our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, which have brought this unfoldment. An unfoldment it has surely been; for, like the rose opening each petal, moment by moment, until the full-blown flower comes forth, so, day by day, Christian Scientists grow in spiritual understanding, with the goal ever before them, — namely, the Bible promise that we shall "all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." It is our daily concern to learn and prove this for ourselves.

A few years ago, an opportunity was offered to introduce one of our Christian Science lecturers, and at the first moment a sense of fear and of material self arose. Soon light came with the words of Jesus, "I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." A sweet peace came as it was seen that it is not necessary to work with the material sense of things; but that with every task God gives us to do, He provides the tools to work with. When we work in our flower garden, we have the hoe and rake to prepare the soil and keep down the weeds; while in the mental vineyard we have the tools of spiritual wisdom, discernment, and understanding to prepare the soil — human thought— and weed out the false beliefs of fear and self. All fear disappeared; and the proving of God's help was wonderful. Deep gratitude arose that we have a God who is so lovingly ever present, to whom we can go at all times, and never go in vain; thankfulness, that He not only gives that with which to work, but teaches us the way to use it properly.

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