Article December 28, 1946 Issue

Would You Know the Child of God?

GLADYS ELLA GIBBS

To a young student of Christian Science the thought that man is the child of God brought great inspiration. Only faintly at first did she discern something of the spiritual nature of her true selfhood, which established her relationship to God, but this perception comforted her beyond measure.

She was not immediately aware of the power which accompanied this perception, but in the midst of what appeared overwhelming difficulties, involving complex human relationships, she would remind herself of her relationship to God. Instead of lying awake at night worrying as she had previously done, she would declare, "Not an unhappy woman, but God's child;" and with the realization of this truth she would go peacefully to sleep. Though this simple declaration was made with no thought of healing the condition, it was dynamic in its effects, for it wrought miraculous changes and blessed all concerned.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 242): "Unless you fully perceive that you are the child of God, hence perfect, you have no Principle to demonstrate and no rule for its demonstration." On the same page she explains, "By this I do not mean that mortals are the children of God,—far from it." To understand that one is the child of God, it is necessary to discover more about the nature of God than is conveyed by teachings other than Christian Science. On page 465 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy asks the question. "What is God?" And she proceeds to answer it with the statement, "God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love."

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