Article March 11, 1944 Issue

The Reward of Obedience

[Of Special Interest to Youth]

HELEN W. READ

A YOUNG  student of Christian Science, who loved her weekly Sunday school lessons, often had the desire to become a member of The Mother Church. But something had stood in her way. Like Eve, she had listened to the serpent of material sense. It had suggested to her that some of the false pleasures which she saw her friends apparently enjoying, were fun. Like the old serpent in Genesis, who said, "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil," so evil's suggestions whispered: "It won't do any harm to try it. You are missing something—and besides, you want to be sophisticated and know everything! They will think you are a poor sport if you don't do it too!"

Yes, her friends all seemed to be having a wonderful time. So this Eve also became mesmerized by the appearance of evil's fun and pleasure, and she tried the fruit.

If the serpent were to suggest: "Now this looks like fun but it really isn't. Come on, try it, but remember it will hurt you in the end. Instead of giving you pleasure, it will really make you suffer, but you may as well try it"—if error argued in this way, it would not be able to fool people so easily, but to mortals evil often looks 'good to eat."

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The Reward of Obedience

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