Many of us on first hearing of Christian Science, and indeed after a longer period of study, make the mistake of becoming so absorbed in our desire to be freed from our seeming ills that we sometimes forget, unless aroused by our lack of spiritual progress, that we are engaged in studying to become Scientists, that is, not only scientific thinkers, but also loving Christian Scientists. Do we always remember that Christ Jesus, our Master, gave once and forever the sign of a true Christian when he said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another"?

How often has the student of Christian Science made his path heavenwards unnecessarily difficult by failing to give ample heed to this statement of our Master, and to the strong warning given us by our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, in her Message to The Mother Church for 1902, where she writes (p. 8), "Mortals hating, or unloving, are neither Christians nor Scientists." These strong words by our Leader should arouse every Christian Scientist to examine his thoughts more carefully. Now, no student of Christian Science would deliberately set out to hate anyone, nor would he intentionally harbor any malicious thinking, for he knows that such thinking would lead to disaster. But does he always remember that an unloving state of thought, constantly held and not cast out of consciousness, will undoubtedly produce its own harvest of difficulties? Did we remember this, how much more watchful we should be to see that our thoughts are always definitely loving!

Doubtless we have all found ourselves tripping on this point at some time or other. But the attitude of the student of Christian Science when he finds himself lacking in love, or in any other Christly quality, should be not so much one of self-condemnation—for brooding over past mistakes never helps anyone. Rather should it be a conscientious, active desire to know the truth so clearly that he will not be found repeating past mistakes, or again sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind.

For our help and instruction in such matters, our Leader has written, on page 111 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," these significant words: "I find the will, or sensuous reason of the human mind, to be opposed to the divine Mind as expressed through divine Science." What solemn words are these! Whenever, therefore, we regard ourselves or others solely from the standpoint of "sensuous reason," we are willfully opposing the divine Mind. And are we not judging solely from this standpoint when we think of anyone as unlovely or unworthy of our affection? Self-justification may clamor that there are times when it is justifiable to dislike certain individuals. Self-love may tremble lest a more truly loving and magnanimous attitude should necessitate the laying down of its own cherished desires. Ignorance may whisper that such a Christianly scientific altitude of thought is too difficult to maintain. Nevertheless, our Leader's statement implies that to reason from a purely human standpoint is to be deliberately willful and disobedient to God.

Now, there is no Christian Scientist who is not daily longing and striving to become more obedient to the demands of God. What, therefore, should we do when animal magnetism argues to us, first that certain individuals are totally unlovable, and, secondly, that we ourselves are incapable of checking our unloving thoughts? A student of Christian Science was once puzzled over this very point. One day when she was earnestly praying for more light and understanding, so that she might become more loving, more tenderly aware of the beauty of all that is real in others, this strange thought came to her: How foolish would it be for a chair to turn to the carpenter who had fashioned it and say, "I am not a chair"! Distressed that such a foolish and irreverent thought should come to her, the student dismissed it and continued her prayer for more understanding. But this thought persisted, until at length she realized that this illustrated what she herself was doing. She was stubbornly agreeing with the adversary, mortal mind, and declaring herself to be an unloving mortal, when God, the Father-Mother of all, has from all eternity fashioned His children after His own likeness, spiritual and perfect. Therefore, they are and always have been irrevocably and everlastingly loving. With what joy and heaven-bestowed conviction the student then declared, "I am loving because God made me loving; I am loving now."

Encouraged by this view of her true selfhood, the student was able to deny the suggestions of animal magnetism whenever they attempted to persuade her that she had little love to express to her fellow men. If ever disheartened at what seemed a slow process of correction, she remembered the illustration and declared, "I am loving because my Father-Mother God created me loving, and His work stands." Finally, a day came when she was asked to meet and take care of a complete stranger. Formerly, she would have been a little dubious, even perhaps a little fearful as regards this unknown individual. With what thankfulness and joy she noted that her first spontaneous response to this request was just the happy, upward-soaring thought—one more to love!

Let us refuse from this moment to believe that any circumstance can arise to make us agree with the suggestion of the adversary that we have not enough love and understanding to unsee and reverse any apparent deflection from Principle, in ourselves or others. Jesus knew with such clearness the real man's inseparability from Principle that he was able to forgive his enemies, even on the cross. Is it not pitiful to have to confess that, while our great Exemplar was able to forgive at that supreme moment, we, his professed followers, sometimes allow error to persuade us that it is difficult to love and forgive those who have momentarily upset our self-esteem, or opposed our egotistical planning?

All students of Christian Science who truly desire to become more acutely aware of their inalienable inheritance of love, can commence by refusing to voice or hold any critical thoughts of others. For we read on page 15 of Science and Health: "We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We must 'pray without ceasing.' Such prayer is answered, in so far as we put our desires into practice. The Master's injunction is, that we pray in secret and let our lives attest our sincerity." Recognizing and facing with deeper honesty and humility our faults of character, still seemingly in the throes of correction, we shall be able to replace every critical thought with one of love and tenderness towards those who, like ourselves, are still on the road heavenwards, still striving as we are to free themselves from all ungodliness. This state of thought becomes easier to maintain if we remember with greater gratitude the love and compassion that has been so generously shown us at various stages of our journey, when, humanly speaking, we may have little deserved it.

As we pray thus, a deep desire to give back to others some of the love and patience that have been bestowed on us will unfold in our consciousness. And we shall meet our fellow man, whether in the market place, in the office, on the roadside, or by our own fireside, with the happy assurance that here is not some vague, indefinable stranger, but a beloved son of our tender Father-Mother God, and therefore, in very truth, just one more to love.

Copyright, 1937, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, One, Norway Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.