Article January 11, 1936 Issue

The Divine Way

HELEN AUDREY FRANKLIN

HUMAN relationships often seem to present knotty problems to mankind. Christian Science brings us the good news that there is a sure way to solve all human problems. This way is divine. At first, one may not be eager to follow the divine way, for it entails the surrender of willful human ways and means. However, the student of Christian Science soon learns that it is wise to accept this as the only way, whether the problem be a simple or a seemingly complicated one.

A young student of Christian Science used to read sorrowfully, almost tearfully, the words of our dear Leader, Mrs. Eddy, under the marginal heading "Uses of adversity," on page 266 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," beginning: "Would existence without personal friends be to you a blank? Then the time will come when you will be solitary, left without sympathy." At that time these words seemed to her to mean that friendship must be sacrificed to progress in Christian Science. The "time" referred to in this passage seemed to come frequently in her experience. The ardor of friendship appeared to cool, friends to change, and friendship to be lost. Then this student would find comfort in the statement following the words quoted above, "But this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love." What a sense of freedom it brought to realize that, in reality, there are no vacuums, for divine Love is omnipresent, and that no sense of vacuum can enter the experience of one who is willing to accept this truth! In humility, she discovered that, often, a seemingly lost friendship would be restored in a form somewhat different, that brought with it more freedom and satisfaction.

Later, this student discovered Mrs. Eddy's words on page 80 of "Retrospection and Introspection," "There are no greater miracles known to earth than perfection and an unbroken friendship." This statement made it clear to her that our Leader highly valued true friendship; hence that it cannot be a hindrance to spiritual progress. Then the significance of the word "personal" in the first statement flashed upon her thought, and she realized that it is the false sense of friendship that has to be sacrificed.

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