Article April 13, 1935 Issue

The Call to Come Up Higher

ALTHEA JUANITA SELVIDGE

A dainty, gay-colored butterfly found its way from its usual freedom in a meadow into a large overland passenger bus. Although the front-door window, which opened from the top, was lowered about three fourths of the way, the butterfly persistently beat its wings against the glass in a futile effort to escape, when the one thing necessary for it to do was to go up a little higher and there find its way into freedom.

This incident helped a student of Christian Science, because it so definitely pointed out that the need of freedom from sickness, disease, lack, poverty, unhappiness, failure, limitation, sorrow, and discord of every sort is but a call to come up higher, where the nothingness of these false claims can be proved. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes (p. 400), "By lifting thought above error, or disease, and contending persistently for truth, you destroy error."

In a frantic effort to find freedom from discord and inharmony of all sorts we may work very persistently, with much effort of human will or human intellect. This, however, is not in accordance with the teachings of Christian Science. Also, if hampered by fear and the belief of life and substance in matter, we may not always remember to do the one thing so necessary, namely, lift our thought "above error" and contend "persistently for truth," and so reach the high standard set by Christian Science, which claims and proves that God is All-in-all.

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