Article September 7, 1940 Issue

The Lessons of Love

ELIZABETH S. MURRAY

WHEN our human plans do not work out as we had hoped, or when we are apparently in adverse circumstances, we may feel discouraged. But the student of Christian Science finds that the loss of material hipes and earthly joys draws him nearer to God, for he learns from such experiences not to rely on human personality or materiality for his happiness and well-being. He learns to flee to the arms of divine Love, as a child to a loving mother, to find comfort and everything good or necessary for his welfare.

To the writer, one of the most beautiful things that Christian Science teaches is that God is not only a Father to us but also a Mother, our Father-Mother, ever present, lovingly guiding and protecting us, and leading us into a realization of the unending joy and peace that are in store for each of His "little ones." It also teaches that God is Love and Truth, and that there can be no opposite of Truth, no other presence. Any seeming opposite is only a lying suggestion, for it is selfevident that the opposite of Truth must be a lie.

Jesus said in his wonderful Sermon on the Mount, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Jesus also taught that the kingdom of heaven is within us; so if our hearts are filled with the treasures of Truth and Love, which we find through the study of Christian Science, we shall gain true happiness, which can never be found in earth's treasures, no matter how glittering and attractive they may seem. Even the most loved of earthly treasures may bring heartache and sorrow. Real, lasting joy can be found only in God, divine Love. The very fact that earthly joys and treasures can be lost proves their unreality. The good which God gives is everlasting, and nothing can interfere with it for even a moment. Should we not all rejoice that we can exchange the fleeting, ephemeral, and decaying for the eternal, real, and incorruptible?

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