Article April 9, 1927 Issue

Problems and Opportunities

MURIEL NELSON

Christian Science is giving to the world to-day the opportunity to solve all its problems through the knowledge of that truth which Jesus said "shall make you free." The truth which makes free must be known individually as well as collectively. And it becomes a source of joy and gratitude to Christian Scientists to know that, as they faithfully apply their knowledge of the truth in working out their own problems, they at the same time are helping to solve the problems of the world. Many Christian Scientists have longed to go out into the world to help alleviate the sufferings of humanity, but have felt powerless to aid in any appreciable way. Now they are learning through the scientific right thinking which Christian Science enables them to do, that they can help in solving the world's problems—and this, in proportion to their fidelity to Truth, as demonstrated in their daily right living.

The individual's problems, as also world problems, are but opportunities for meeting and mastering the suppositional activities of the carnal mind, or, in other words, animal magnetism, the belief in a mind and an existence apart from God. Evil claims to be as real as God, good, who is omniactive, omnipresent, and omnipotent Mind or Truth; but as our Leader so clearly puts it, "It is Truth's knowledge of its own infinitude which forbids the genuine existence of even a claim to error" (No and Yes, p. 30). The claims of evil to power and presence are thus seen to be false and without foundation, because in the ever-presence and infinitude of Truth there can be no place in which they could possibly originate or exist. As the earnest Christian Scientist realizes the utter falsity of these false claims, he loses his fear of them and, following the Master, courageously denounces them as liars from the beginning. Through his knowledge of and steadfast adherence to Truth, he is able to destroy them. Thus his problems become opportunities to prove God's allness and the utter unreality, hence powerlessness, of evil.

Since the true Christian Scientist is consistent, he finds that he cannot reject evil's false claims to reality and power in one case and accept them in another. He cannot accept as real the crying evils and injustices in the world to-day, and yet hope to prove these evils unreal in his own environment. He must treat them as he treats any error which presents its false claim in his own daily living. He must know the truth specifically about the condition confronting him. He must know that the truth he knows is God's law to the situation, and that it has therefore the power to wipe out the error, that is, to deprive it of all semblance of reality. As he does this work faithfully, he will find many glorious opportunities to lift the burden that weighs upon humanity. In her Message to The Mother Church for 1900 (p. 3) Mrs. Eddy says: "The right thinker and worker does his best, and does the thinking for the ages. No hand that feels not his help, no heart his comfort." Truly such a Christian Scientist is a blessing in the highest sense of the word.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Problems and Opportunities

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access