Article September 12, 1925 Issue

The Fruit of Obedience

HANNAH M. FRANKEN

There is no greater joy or peace than that which is attained by obedience to the law of God. Obedience includes absolute reliance on spiritual law; and to obey, to love, to rely on God as the only power, the All-in-all, the infinite Mind, means to recognize the nothingness of belief in a selfhood apart from God. To be governed by the all-wise perfect Mind means that we know our real selves to be ideas of this Mind. This gives us a perfect foundation from which to reason, in line with the thought of our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, as expressed in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 259), "The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,—perfect God and perfect man,—as the basis of thought and demonstration."

Christian Science reveals and proves that God is divine Principle. It follows that obedience to the laws of this perfect Principle must necessarily, and naturally, and without any effort, bring with it perfect results. In working out a problem in mathematics, we do not stop to ask why it is necessary to obey its laws; neither does an obedient child ask why it is right to do the thing asked of him. The child who whimpers and asks. Why must I do it? is usually one who is showing some phase of selfishness. Which of these children will gain the greater good?

Our blessed Master has left for us many commands. His love for God and God's children was so great and pure that he would never have left a command which we could not readily obey. He even said that we should be perfect, even as our Father is perfect. Does not this mean obedience to the omnioperative law of Love? This obedience, then, is a present possibility,—by understanding the might of divine Love to do its holy work. Thus, by letting God's will express itself, our burdens will surely be lightened, and the false sense of responsibility lifted.

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