Article June 7, 1947 Issue

Flowers on the Doorstep

[Of Special Interest to Sunday School Pupils]

MARION D. MAC CANN

An earnest young student in a Sunday School class was concerned about how to be a law to herself, in accordance with Mary Baker Eddy's behest in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." There she writes (p. 442). "Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake."

In her endeavor to help the student the teacher said: "Imagine yourself standing in a well-filled schoolroom before a blackboard working on a difficult mathematical problem. You know the rule and how to apply it, but you are constantly interrupted. Someone tells you that you are using the wrong rule. Someone else says your application is mistaken. Another one claims there is an error in computation. Then still another person begins to tease you, and finally a pupil at the back of the room deliberately stirs up noise and confusion, jealous lest you succeed."

Then the class was asked what the student should do in such a situation. And the answers might be summarized as follows: Simply attend to her own work. If she became momentarily distracted, she could begin again. If a wrong number slipped in, it could be erased and corrected. If she were tempted with annoyance, she could recapture her good humor. If she felt fearful, she could rout the dismay with reliance on God, divine Love. If resentment threatened, she could express its opposite—mercy and love toward the malicious one, thus removing the sting.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Flowers on the Doorstep

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access