Editorial January 1, 1927 Issue

Renewals

Ella W. Hoag

Mankind is always interested in renewals. Beset as it seems to be with disappointed effort, it longs for that which will bring the assurance of renewed hope, renewed opportunities, renewed possibilities. The Bible holds out many a promise in this direction, for the Psalmist sang long years ago of the sweet renewals God is constantly bringing to all the earth. Paul, lifting thought to the spiritual sense of things, advised that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind; while he also declared positively that "the inward man is renewed day by day." And in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 364) Mrs. Eddy, quoting indirectly from the Scriptures, encourages us when she says, "Wait patiently on the Lord, and He will renew your strength."

With all these blessed assurances for our comfort and support it would almost seem anomalous that we should ever lose sight of the constant possibility of renewal in every right direction; that we should ever doubt that omnipresent, omnipotent Love is always pouring out upon us fresh opportunities and fresh ability whereby we may accomplish—reflect—more and more of good. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 426) our beloved Leader has also written: "Man should renew his energies and endeavors, and see the folly of hypocrisy, while also learning the necessity of working out his own salvation." And then she adds, "When it is learned that disease cannot destroy life, and that mortals are not saved from sin or sickness by death, this understanding will quicken into newness of life."

One secret of the failure of men to claim that perpetual sense of renewal which is theirs in accordance with the law of God, is that they do not recognize that they never can gain anything by yielding to the false suggestions of evil, whatever their supposititious claim to power and satisfaction may be. All along the line of human endeavor men are tempted to give up when they should persevere. They are tempted to imagine it is easier to yield to false beliefs and practices than to resist and overcome them. They believe they can gain the same end by allowing error to go on to its own destruction as they would attain if they were to stand loyally by Truth and prove its allness. All this is, of course, mistaken reasoning, for who ever gained anything in mathematics by failing to work out the problems presented? They were but given to him to do in some other form before he could pass his examination and go up higher.

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