Article March 19, 1955 Issue

THE ELEPHANT'S TRUNK

HERBERT E. RIEKE

At one time a student of Christian Science was baffled by a physical problem that seemed to defy solution. He endeavored to apply his understanding of divine Principle as he had been taught in Christian Science. He declared every truth he knew in regard to God, the universe, and man. He dealt with every claim of error that he thought might be involved, but there were no visible results. He felt as though he were up against a stone wall.

He prayed with deepest sincerity to God that he might be shown the way. Suddenly he realized that he was acting like a frustrated mortal, rather than like a son of God. He was accepting the arguments that he did not know what to do, what to handle, or how to pray. He reversed this argument of frustration by rejoicing in the fact that God, divine Mind, has a perfect answer for every question. He saw that his true selfhood was at one with Mind, and that therefore by reflection he knew exactly what he should know in order to express perfection. He realized that divine Love never created any complicated problems to perplex the thought of His children. Actually he was the divinely inspired idea of the one divine Mind. After declaring these positive truths, he retired and went to sleep.

In the morning he awakened from a very funny dream. He had dreamed that an elephant's trunk was growing on the end of his nose, and when he first awoke he was feeling to see if it were really there. He laughed as he realized how ridiculous the dream was. Then he saw clearly that any abnormal growth on the inside of the body —or on the outside—was just as unnatural as was an elephant's trunk on the end of one's nose. God does not cause any imperfect manifestation in the experience of His child; and God is the only cause.

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