God's Care for His Children

Duncan Sinclair

Christ Jesus made use of some beautiful similes in the endeavor to bring to his listeners the truth of God's care for His children. One of these similes referred to the sparrow, a bird that mortals usually reckon of little value. "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?" he said, "and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. . . . Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." The Master, with acumen begotten of marvelous spiritual understanding, saw beyond the mere shadowy material sense of things, saw the real spiritual identity of that which mortals account as of little value, and pronounced the great truth that even a sparrow is precious in His sight. And if a sparrow be regarded in this way by the Father, surely the children of men, whose real spiritual selves were created by Him, are much more precious to Him!

The Father's love for His creation—how faintly sometimes we seem to discern it! Yet, this love is unlimited: the Father is infinite Love. The word "Father" is such a kindly word, conveying as it does to us the thoughts of intelligent supervision, provision for our needs, righteous correction, wise guidance. And when one perceives that in reality the Father and the son—God and His idea, man—are never apart, one understands how the love of the Father can never cease to operate on man's behalf; that it is impossible for man to be deprived, even for an instant, of divine protection.

Mrs. Eddy, while adhering to the use of the word "Father" for God, also calls Him by the name of Mother. Indeed, in her writings she uses the compound word "Father-Mother" as a term for Deity. And what an expressive term this is! For not only does it convey the truth of God's in telligence and wisdom, but it also emphasizes His patient tenderness. Our Leader writes (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 332), "Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation." There is no trace of lovelessness in this relationship, no trace of harshness. It is one of constant love. The sparrow, as God's idea, is under the law of Love. Man, as God's idea, is under the law of Love. All of God's ideas are under the law of Love. Nothing, therefore, can injure God's spiritual creation.

These are some of the truths which Christian Science is bringing to men. And if they understood them, how different existence would become for them! What claims to prevent their understanding that God is Love, the tender Father-Mother of us all? The suggestion that there exists another power, the opposite of Love—evil. Mortals have been cradled in the belief that evil is as real as good; all the generations of men throughout the ages have been taught thus to believe. But it is not true. The creator of man, the Father-Mother of man, is infinite Love, and He knows only good for His children. In the light of the allness of God, good, evil is nothing: evil is unreal. As one understands this, one is proportionately freed from fear of evil, and finds himself enjoying the good that is man's heritage.

It is not a question of having to search for God as if He were afar off: God is never separate from man. This is what we need to realize, since to do so means protection and healing. In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 196) Mrs. Eddy says, "The sweet, sacred sense and permanence of man's unity with his Maker, in Science, illumines our present existence with the ever-presence and power of God, good." And she adds, significantly, "It opens wide the portals of salvation from sin, sickness, and death." How beautiful the phrase—"the sweet, sacred sense and permanence of man's unity with his Maker"! But this sense must be cultivated—scientifically cultivated—if we would overcome sin and disease, and finally death.

In the psalms are many references to the tender love of God for His children. The ninety-first psalm is one of the most comforting messages ever written because, throughout, it tells in language which may not be surpassed, of God's protecting care. "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways," are the words of the eleventh verse. And God's angels are those true thoughts which convey to us the truth about Himself and His idea, man, and of the eternal and perfect relationship existing between them. We must listen to these angel-thoughts, if we would experience God's protection. This is what Christian Science enables the student to do. Whoever is sincere in his desire to know the truth about God and man will not fail in his quest if he studies faithfully the Christian Science textbooks, the Bible and Science and Health, with the prayer in his heart that the love and goodness of God, the Father-Mother, will be revealed to him.

Duncan Sinclair

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