OBEYING THE VOICE

[Of Special Interest to Children]

MARY BEATRICE BROADMEADOW

When John was nine years old, he went to live in the home of some Christian Scientists. Until that time he had been left pretty much to do as he liked. Nobody seemed to care where he was or how he spent his time when not at school, so long as they were not troubled by him.

In his new home love abounded, but at first he did not respond to the love shown him, but would turn away, almost afraid of a kindly touch. To John it seemed just as easy not to speak the truth as to tell the truth; he did not know the great difference between honesty and dishonesty.

Then he was taken to a Christian Science Sunday School, where he was taught that "God is love" (I John 4:8) and that as we ourselves are loving and kind we are expressing God. He was also taught that God is Truth, and therefore he could express or reflect God by being truthful. John was happy in his Sunday School class, and soon he was in possession of his own Bible and the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. These he would read before going to school each morning, and he began to read the Lesson-Sermon as given in the Christian Science Quarterly.

From this time on he began giving out love and expressing more obedience. He loved Bible stories, especially the one about Samuel hearing the voice of God (I Sam. 3), and he found that he too could listen for and hear God's voice. This was proved in the following incident. One day while he was playing near the beach he found a watch. He did not know its value, but he did think that it would be nice to keep it and have a watch of his very own. Then the still, small voice of Truth said within him: "But that would not be honest. It does not really belong to you." And immediately he knew what he must do.

He found a policeman and handed him the watch. The policeman took John's name and address, because he said the watch was valuable and if it was not claimed by a certain time it would be his. When John reached home and told his story it was explained to him that he, like Samuel, had heard and obeyed the voice of God. John did hope the owner of the watch would claim it. Now he was thinking only of the one to whom it belonged.

The next day a very excited little boy came home from school. The owner of the watch had claimed it, and had also thanked John and presented him with a reward before the whole school.

On page 323 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes: "The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen as felt. It is the 'still, small voice' of Truth uttering itself. We are either turning away from this utterance, or we are listening to it and going up higher." John had indeed gone up higher; he had replaced dishonesty with honesty, untruths with truth; he had been obedient to the still, small voice.

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