Eager for duty and obedient to orders as men and women in the services may be, yet the human belief in danger and loss, as well as a sense of personal responsibility for the successful accomplishment of an important and hazardous assignment, may try to fetter the flight or weigh down the thought by suggestions of failure or accident. Fear is apt to clutch coldly at the brave hearts preparing for a journey by land, sea, or air.

Under such conditions, the inspiration which Christian Science gives through the realization of the eternal presence of Mind brings a sense of continual protection. In her great book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes as follows (p. 410): "Christian scientific practice begins with Christ's keynote of harmony, 'Be not afraid!' "

Christian Science teaches that man, being in his true nature an indestructible spiritual idea or reflection of God, is inspired, guided, and controlled by that infinite Mind which is his Principle, his very Life and intelligence. Man, therefore, is not subject to fear, but is, on the contrary, its master.

The Bible is full of declarations of this truth, understood to some extent all down the centuries. Holy and humble men of old have found guidance, protection, and deliverance through carrying with them, under trying conditions, the sense of God's loving and enveloping presence. No matter where duty may take one, in the desert, ascending the clouds above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters, there is God, surrounding His own with safety.

The Psalmist knew this when he sang: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." Not blinding flame or darkest night can hide man from God, the all-seeing divine Love, to whom darkness and light are both alike. Remembering that Truth is clear and luminous, one will be able to realize right guidance in all circumstances, and will thus silence the whisper of fear for the present or future. He will take each step without haste, free from fear of accident or miscalculation, confidently leaving the outcome to God.

Today many wonderful stories of rescue are told of men who, in the face of danger and difficulty, have put their trust and confidence in God's power to overcome adverse material conditions and have found deliverance. Such rescues are taking place in all parts of the world at war. Sometimes, when lost in the air or adrift upon the sea, men have heard the answer to their prayer as distinctly as a human voice, giving them clear directions by which to come safe to land. Divine intelligence is always available, always present to point out the path from perplexity to clarity, from danger to security.

Through his knowledge of the immutable laws of God, Jesus stilled the storm, walked on the water, healed the wounded and the diseased, and even raised the dead. These victories over fear were not magical or supernatural, but the result of spiritual understanding, as was proved later when his disciples were able to repeat them in proportion to their comprehension of God's power. Laws of Truth do not change, as human codes may do, from generation to generation; the stars still move in celestial order in obedience to the same law which governed them centuries ago, when shepherds watched their flocks by night and Wisemen beheld a star of hope in the eastern sky. Men's appreciation of divine law unfolds as the generations progress out of materiality. The day of miracles is not past. If we lift our heads above the mists of human fear to the shining heights of faith and spiritual understanding, it is ours today.

In the cold tedium of waiting for action, in the monotony of life in barracks or factory, men and women may prepare themselves mentally and spiritually to meet the specter of fear. Fear has no substance, no intelligence; these belong to divine Love. Fear is but a black shadow which would dim and befog the vision and mesmerize the will. But Love is the only Mind. No one need be ashamed or discouraged if attacked by mankind's archenemy, fear, for all can rise victorious over it by turning in thought to its opposite, confidence in the all-power of ever-present divine Love.

St. Paul, whose duty often placed him and his followers in jeopardy, declared in triumph, when writing to those at Rome: "If God be for us, who can be against us?... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,... nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God."

Fear for our own beloved ones is lifted as we remember that, wherever they may be, there the everlasting arms of Love are forever encircling them, are forever beneath to support and protect them. When we pray for ourselves or others, let us pray to be made perfect in that love which St. John understood when he said, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." Since our heavenly Father's life-giving hand is tenderly outstretched to raise even a fallen sparrow, shall not His beloved sons be raised above fear and its effects to the understanding that Life is deathless, eternal? Knowing this, Christ Jesus said to his brothers on earth, "Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."