Article May 2, 1931 Issue

The Open Door

ANNIE VAN NOPPEN

The study of Christian Science awakens its adherents to be ever alert for the voice of Truth. Many times God talks to us through the simple occurrences of everyday life. A little incident which happened some time ago had an inspiring message for the writer.

On a beautiful summer morning she stepped into the granary to get food for some chickens. A little bird flew up, frightened and alarmed, apparently thinking itself a prisoner trapped in a dangerous place. At once it began a desperate attempt to free itself, and in doing so beat its little wings against the closed windows. Time and again it tried, until at last it was exhausted. During a moment of quiet resting there suddenly trilled a happy note from a brother bird sitting in a tree in front of the open door. The prisoner lifted its head and saw its happy brother. With a bright chirp it flew to its newly realized but never lost freedom.

Sometimes when error seems to overtake us unawares, we become frightened and begin at once to work in Christian Science to lift ourselves out of the unpleasant condition. Then we may wonder, when we are working so sincerely, why we do not rise out of it. We are much like the little bird beating its wings against the closed windows: we are hemmed in by belief of separation from God, good. What we need to do is to be still, so that we may listen for the voice of Truth. When we do this our thoughts are lifted and we see that our freedom never was endangered. We are now what, in reality, we always have been and shall be, the perfect expression of God.

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