Article July 22, 1922 Issue

Growth

THESTER A. MC CLENNAN

A lover of flowers, having occasion to pass daily through a park on the way to business, observed in the early spring days the first promise of growth appearing in a bed of tulips. Across one corner of this tulip bed a thick, hard cake of transparent ice had formed, through which could be seen the tiny green tips of several plants. The impulse was strong to stoop down and remove the encumbering ice, which appeared to be so cruelly retarding the progress of the tender shoots. The days passed by; and one morning in happy surprise it was noticed that the leaves of one of the tulips had penetrated the ice, which, though somewhat reduced, still appeared solid and hard. This corner was watched with daily increasing interest, until with delight the writer saw that the strongest and sturdiest plants of all were those which had been strengthened by what had seemed to be hard and disagreeable surroundings.

The lesson has not been forgotten. There are times when one yearns in a human way to protect a dear one from some of the seemingly severe experiences which seem necessary to turn his thought away from the pleasures of sense to the joys of Soul. We would sometimes seek unwisely to shield others from the conflict with error, or wish to remove from their environment whatever seems to make it hard or disagreeable, forgetting that each individual must drink of the "cup of sorrowful effort," as Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 26); for, as she tells us on the same page of our textbook, "Jesus spares us not one individual experience, if we follow his commands faithfully;" and James says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Then, shall we fear the process of development for ourselves or our loved ones, even though to human sense the way at times seems hard? Let us remember that divine Love is tenderly guarding each and all; and Mrs. Eddy has lovingly assured us (Message for 1902, p. 19), out of the fullness of her own rich experience, "There is no redundant drop in the cup that our Father permits us."

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