Article December 17, 1955 Issue

OUR WELL-BEING

W. BURTON WEBSTER

A true state of well-being is the certainty that because God is omnipotent in goodness, all is well with the spiritual universe and spiritual man. To the human individual, well-being is more than being well physically. It embraces harmonious living in every particular.

Psalm 128 contains a beautiful promise, scientifically true and provable to anyone who faithfully obeys its conditions. It reads: "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." Not only is immunity from physical difficulties promised, but the Psalm assuredly states that "it shall be well with thee," in the same sense that everything was well with the widow and her son whom Elijah succored; with Lazarus at the tomb; or with Peter, when he attempted to walk upon the water; or with Mary Magdalene, out of whom Christ Jesus is said to have cast seven devils.

An important point which is sometimes overlooked is this: to walk in the way of the Lord that all may be well with us includes keeping every one of the Ten Commandments. The Commandments, being exact rules by which to live, are not restricted to a literal or narrow interpretation. For example, "Thou shalt not steal" means more than the oft-implied reference to a felony. May it not mean that we ought not to steal another's precious moments by a lengthy recital of our troubles? "Thou shalt not kill" surely means that we shall not harbor in our thinking any anger, malice, or revenge. To honor one's father and mother is not only to obey them, but to recognize their true origin as perfect children of the one Father-Mother God. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" not only pertains to an illegal act, but admonishes us to keep life sweet by continually holding pure and lovely thoughts. So all of the Commandments have interpretations which, if obeyed, will increase our well-being.

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