Article December 2, 1933 Issue

Resentment Lost in Forgiveness

MARY ELIZABETH GOSHON

Many times the young student in Christian Science is counseled to hold no resentment in his thought, but freely to forgive; and this good advice all will do well to heed. But, one may say, how can I help holding resentment when I have been wronged, badly treated, and misjudged? The answer is that through human effort alone one cannot work out of such an unhappy state of thought, but through divine help, which is ever available, this is possible.

In working out a problem of this kind, we have the wonderful message from our revered Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 72), "God, good, being ever present, it follows in divine logic that evil, the suppositional opposite of good, is never present." We know that resentment, a form of hatred, is evil, and that forgiveness, a quality of Love, is good; and as one reasons in this way, it becomes clear that resentment has no real existence, but is only a false suggestion, which can never supplant the ever present good. Then as we study the Bible passage, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God," how wonderful becomes the endeavor to love!

In an article entitled "Love" our Leader says (Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 249, 250): "What a word! I am in awe before it. Over what worlds on worlds it hath range and is sovereign! the underived, the incomparable, the infinite All of good, the alone God, is Love." Inspired and inspiring words! Who would not strive to attain such heights?

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