THERE CAN BE NO EXCEPTIONS
Sometimes in human experience one is tempted to accept the belief that he possesses a difficulty which is his master. He may think little about the intruding thought at first, but on later reflection he may become convinced of its importance, especially after it has appeared several times in succession. Instead of detecting the worthlessness of the questionable suggestion at the outset, and stamping it out, he may be swept under by its seemingly cumulative effect.
If a tenacious belief claims to develop, he becomes frightened and thinks that his life is marked by one special obstacle, and that no one is as troubled as he is. In self-pity he avers that everything in life would be grand and glorious were it not for this one accursed torment. Convinced, he despairingly says, "You see, my situation is unique; my case is different."
The individual is wonderfully blessed who turns to the teachings of Christian Science at the moment he feels overwhelmed with what seems to be a law that would harness him to a special burden. Mary Baker Eddy, who overcame much, comforts and assures us (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 149, 150): "Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee. Therefore despair not nor murmur, for that which seeketh to save, to heal, and to deliver, will guide thee, if thou seekest this guidance."
Paul, that earnest apostle of the New Testament, who had many struggles and triumphs, said (Hebr. 12:1), "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
In divine Science there can be no exceptions, or exceptional evils, because God's law demonstrates perfection and universal harmony; because His omnipotence and omnipresence are all-inclusive His children are ever under His care and love. God's laws are constant, without lapses, annulments, or deviations. Clouds may hide the light of day—illusions may seem to beset us —but clouds are not laws. The forces of good and freedom are ever present.
Inasmuch as man proceeds from God and is the complete manifestation of eternal good, he is governed in all respects by Love's constancy. Therefore, how can human reason claim we are floating in an orbit alone, left out, forgotten, or forsaken, with a hopeless problem on our hands?
Our revered Leader, Mrs. Eddy, who followed closely the teachings of Christ Jesus, reminds us in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 494), "It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good."
As students of Christian Science we learn the need of detecting the error in the beginning and by refusal and reversal of expunging it from consciousness. Sometimes we are so deceived that we name that "error" which is not error. Frequently we think of exceptional occurrences in life as failures when they should be seen as disappointing occasions because we have not achieved preconceived human outlines. Deterrents to the accomplishment of mortal fancies often prove in retrospect to be steps in progress Godward.
A man of the writer's acquaintance felt a sense of great frustration over repeated delays. He explained that almost everything that he had ever attempted had ended in failure. He argued that he seemed "marked" in this one respect. At the time of this paralyzing sense of incompleteness and defeat, when he was afraid to begin anything new for fear it would end in collapse, he found the teachings of Christian Science and caught a new view of life and its possibilities. He was shown by a Christian Science practitioner that frustration is unknown to the man of God's creating and that the loving divine Mind has no provision for such torment.
The man's troubled thought was quieted. With humility and patience he plunged into the study of Christian Science, and as he obtained a correct understanding of God and of man's relationship to Him, the whole picture changed, and he experienced success and happiness.
The belief that there is a "sin which doth so easily beset us" admits the one great sin, the belief that there is a power apart from and opposed to God and His goodness, and that by it we are removed from the kingdom of good. Perhaps false sense whispers that nothing can be done about it—that we are subject to discouragement, susceptible to physical ailments, inclined to be timid, cannot understand Christian Science, are afraid, or out of funds. But the light of Truth enables us to see all these suggestions as false and awakens us to claim man's inalienable freedom from all evil.
Let us realize the constancy and utility of the perfect law of Life and Love and "run with patience the race that is set before us." God's man never was, never will be, and is not now subject to isolated exceptions.
In the textbook, Science and Health, we read (pp. 12, 13): "In divine Science, where prayers are mental, all may avail themselves of God as 'a very present help in trouble.' Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.'"
