Article December 7, 1946 Issue

Obeying Orders

[Of Special Interest to Children]

ELIZA J. MAGEE

Little Billy was just live years old. He was glad when his daddy came home from war. He told Billy about the big ships he had been on and the great number of sailors on them, and explained that it was the duty of everyone on those ships to obey instantly the orders of his commanding officer.

Billy had been going to the Christian Science Sunday School since he was two years old, and he loved to repeat to Mother the Bible stories he heard there. One Sunday the teacher talked about Noah, pointing out his obedience when God told him to build the ark. When Billy got home he told his mother the story, saying, "Noah built the ark just as God wanted it to be done. You see," he said, "he obeyed orders just as Daddy and all those sailors on the ship did. Maybe Noah didn't want to go into the ark, but he obeyed, and when the flood? came he was saved. So, Mother, I am going to be obedient too. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it."

"That's fine, Billy," said Mother. "You'll find that we are always happy when we are obedient." Then she said, "You know our textbook tells us, 'Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action' (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 454). That means that if we really want to do right, we shall have right thoughts given to us, and these will tell us what to do and give us strength to say and do only that which is good." And she continued, "But we must be sure to listen for right thoughts, for they come from God and are the only real thoughts."

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