Article January 2, 1932 ISSUE

Freedom

HELENA A. YARROW-JONES

Freedom! Blissful thought! And yet how many of us, through negative interpretation, lose its heavenly strain and use the word as if it denoted only congenial material environment or condition. Very rightly and naturally the desire to be free from misery of all kinds is common to mankind; but the student of Christian Science knows that at the very start he must realize that if he desires to be free from any oppressive condition he must make a mental rightabout-turn, and strive to gain fresh understanding of those ever present divine facts concerning the perfection of God, man, and the universe.

One of meanings meanings of the word "freedom" is "boldness of conception;" and no more striking acceptance of this interpretation of freedom can be found than is given by Mrs. Eddy on page 90 of her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," where she writes, "The admission to one's self that man is God's own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea." Could any concept of freedom be more heavenly in its infinite satisfaction than that which indicates our liberty "to master the infinite idea"?

It is the custom in armies for an officer to inquire each day if the men have any complaints, and, if any are forthcoming, to make it his business to see that they are given proper corrective attention. The student of Christian Science, engaged in the glorious battle of proving that God, good, is All, is alert to detect and heal the first sigh of pining in his thought, for he knows, better even than the army officer, the depressing effect of suppressed murmurings and unfulfilled longings. Indeed, those students who daily devote their first waking hour to God, in the sanctuary of thankfulness for the ever-freshness of His day and the opportunity afforded them of understanding, through Love's revelation, more of inexhaustible Principle, those students will find harmony awaiting them. They should be able always, with genuine spontaneity, to answer the query, "Any complaints?" with, "None!" They should realize thankfulness and joy through all their days. So is heavenly freedom realized in some measure here and now.

What, then, is to be done when futile sighs claim to have power to rob even morning of its loveliness? We must strive for ever deeper realization of perpetual good. God knows nothing about evil; and since man is like God, is indeed His image and likeness, our true individuality knows nothing about it. We must claim heavenly consciousness. "To begin rightly is to end rightly," as Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health (p. 262 ); and she continues: "Every concept which seems to begin with the brain begins falsely. Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence. Cause does not exist in matter, in mortal mind, or in physical forms."

Let us gather manna, our spiritual food, in the stillness of our first waking hour. Our daily affairs will be all the better for our patient entrance into the sanctuary of prayer, wherein we whole-heartedly admit the perfection of man in God's likeness, and offer the firstfruits of our thankfulness to our Father-Mother God for His perfect creation. As we bathe our thinking in the light of the great spiritual fact that man is now perfect, are we exemplifying true unselfishness. We perceive our neighbor as we perceive ourselves, either as mortal or as immortal. If we are accustomed to think of ourselves as a mixture of good and bad, we shall see our neighbor in the same light. As we awake to behold our true spiritual self in the image and likeness of infinited Principle, we shall see all God's children as immortal. In order, therefore, to keep the Golden Rule, it is imperative that we persistently recognize our freedom from all mortal thinking, and claim the liberty of the infinite realm of Mind. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." Now Love enables us to enjoy the bliss of fetterless freedom.

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