On Cherishing

Violet Ker Seymer

The question of what an individual cherishes in his thoughts, his character, and his daily pursuits is a vital one, since it determines the degree of his progression or his retrogression. The temptation deliberately to cherish one's peculiarities is immanent, and unless it is resisted the mask of mortal personality hinders the appearing of spiritual individuality.

Sometimes a person is childishly proud of his profitless peculiarities and enjoys the banter of his friends regarding them. So they continue to be indulged. Witty exaggeration, for instance, in telling an anecdote is fairly common. This habit indicates a degree of untruthfulness, even of dishonesty, and if unchecked it may develop into a larger hindrance to true thought and speech in things essential. Another person will involve himself in debt through self-indulgence and impulse. These and many other undetected weeds of error are apt to throw out troublesome roots.

Then again, even the Christian Scientist may sometimes be lenient with long-indulged habits of disorderliness in reference to his personal effects and his appearance. He may regard these as merely external, whereas they are indexes of his character. Another may think it unfortunate that he has the habit of mislaying or losing objects. Others, from old habit, may still occasionally lose their temper and condone the tendency on the plea that this is but a brief and superficial disturbance. Yet so long as an individual mentally cherishes these and other definitely erroneous beliefs of the carnal mind they will hamper his efforts in relation to larger overcomings.

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 68), "We ought to weary of the fleeting and false and to cherish nothing which hinders our highest selfhood." The "highest selfhood" is the expression of God, divine Principle. God's witness manifests joy and freedom, orderly activity, wisdom, purity, and peace. Whoever cherishes these evidences of Godlikeness resists the mortal tendency to be even slightly irascible, depressed, or morally weak. In mastering himself the student of Christian Science gradually masters circumstances. Honestly cherishing his spiritual heritage, he rejoicingly divests his thought of hampering indulgences, pleasurable or painful. Step by step he ceases either to fear his shortcomings or to mask them with self-justification. Avoiding apathy, the line of least resistance, he takes pleasure in defeating procrastination with prompt overcoming.

Sometimes one is severely tempted to hug regret, fear, or resentment because of the discord to which one is exposed through the unfair or peculiar behavior of another. Then it will be helpful to remember that St. Paul, though severely tested and often shamefully treated, wrote to the Thessalonians, "We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children." One who habitually cherishes the good and true in himself will silently, gently, cherish the same good in others, and will do all that he can wisely do to nurse it into expression whenever he is given the opportunity to do so. Even the most wayward and willful natures will ultimately surrender to the love of God, for error's adamant cannot fail to yield to Love's solvent. Divinely controlled thinking fosters the encouraging attitude and the "sound speech, that cannot be condemned."

Gentleness and invincible faith in good are to be cherished as a twofold defense against the aggressions of personal sense. Fidelity to divine Principle lifts one above the tendency to react unfavorably to temptations either from within or from without. Hence our Leader's significant and healing reminder (Message to The Mother Church for 1902, p. 19), "The Christian Scientist cherishes no resentment; he knows that that would harm him more than all the malice of his foes."

Had Christ Jesus reacted discordantly rather than forgivingly to "the malice of his foes," he would, to that extent, have failed to cherish the real and would have lost touch with his God. And had our Leader not cherished her ideal in spite of all the unideal taunts and threats flung at the standard of real being which she had discovered, the revelation of Christian Science would have been lost to humanity and there would have been no church organization. Every loyal Christian Scientist realizes that he must closely cherish the same standard and confidently await the reward of well-doing. To this end he unfalteringly places the spiritual fact before every material falsehood and moves on to the recognition of universal perfection. In himself and in others he cherishes every improved belief, every clearer vision, every least gain in the line of spiritual healing. He utilizes the power of spiritual ideas and rejoices in proving their inherent dominion.

Each one's spiritual understanding, however small, is practically demonstrable because it has the support of infinite Spirit. Referring to the appearing of the divine idea in different ages our Leader writes (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 370): "In this age it assumes, more intelligently than ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish. This is the babe that twines its loving arms about the neck of omnipotence, and calls forth infinite care from His loving heart."

Violet Ker Seymer

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