Article March 8, 1952 Issue

"QUICK UNDERSTANDING"

WALTER S. SYMONDS

The need for quick or spontaneous thinking often confronts one in his daily affairs. Times come when decisions must be made with little or no opportunity for deliberation. Then we long for a "quick understanding" of the facts of the situation. At such times mere human opinion is useless. It is the instant availability of the Christ, Truth, that makes possible a ready understanding of the thing to do on such occasions, and it is the Christ, Truth, that we seek. At this point we may well recall Mary Baker Eddy's words in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 171), "Through discernment of the spiritual opposite of materiality, even the way through Christ, Truth, man will reopen with the key of divine Science the gates of Paradise which human beliefs have closed, and will find himself unfallen, upright, pure, and free, not needing to consult almanacs for the probabilities either of his life or of the weather, not needing to study brainology to learn how much of a man he is."

Isaiah says, in prophesying the coming of the Christ (Isa. 11: 2, 3), "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord." A dictionary gives as one of the definitions of "quick": "Manifesting a characteristic activity or quality suggestive of life." Mrs. Eddy tells us that Life is God. So what one needs is a better understanding of God when he finds himself suddenly faced with the need for true guidance. This comes through devotion and consecration, through study and prayer.

Christian Scientists daily study the Lesson-Sermons in the Christian Science Quarterly in order to learn more of God and the laws governing His universe, including man. There they find inspiration which enables them to meet the problems calling for "quick understanding." They learn of the Christ-spirit, man's eternal nature, the ever presence of which is demonstrable by those who seek constantly for spiritual understanding.

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