Article November 14, 1936 Issue

"A deep-settled calm"

DOROTHY MARY HUTCHINGS

How reassuring a quality is calm! In the midst of the rush and friction of modern living we appreciate the stability and strength which accompany this state of thought, even though we may not recognize its source. For calmness is not mere placidity, which is often a matter of temperament and may not stand the test of disturbing events. True calm results from an understanding of God as the one basis of all creation, the rock upon which is built a consciousness impregnable to the assaults of all forms of error.

On page 19 of her Message to The Mother Church for 1902 Mrs. Eddy writes: "To the burdened and weary, Jesus saith: 'Come unto me.' O glorious hope! there remaineth a rest for the righteous, a rest in Christ, a peace in Love. The thought of it stills complaint; the heaving surf of life's troubled sea foams itself away, and underneath is a deep-settled calm." In these few words she depicts the peace which comes from the relinquishment of a false sense of burden and weariness through turning to the Christ, Truth, as sufficient to satisfy every longing.

Now, if we analyze a sense of burden we may find that it generally arises from a belief that circumstances are too hard for us, that we have to struggle alone with weights too heavy for us to carry, and that, consequently, as the prophet Joel puts it, "joy is withered away from the sons of men." It is noteworthy that this loss of joy was evidenced in the withering of every beautiful and fruitful tree. So when we lose our joy we need not be surprised to find that we also lose our fruitage. And should we seem to be experiencing this barrenness, it would be well for us to examine the situation, for it is summed up in these few words: a belief in separation from God.

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