Article July 30, 1955 Issue

HOW DO I LEARN TO LOVE?

[Original article in German]

MARIA SCHLOZ

The desire to love and to be loved is part of the very fiber of our being. Indeed, every thoughtful person admits that love is the impulse of life. A material concept of love is material attraction. But since materiality is proved to be perishable, anything connected with the belief in its power or reality will sooner or later bring disillusionment.

Day by day the experiences of mortals prove this to be true. Even one of the higher forms of human love—mother love—is not free from possible disillusion as long as it still looks upon man as a material being, subject to sin and death. And yet the yearning to love and be loved is unceasing. It is well known that even plants and animals respond to love and show it through better growth and improved habits.

When the writer was twelve years old, the description of Jesus at that age made a deep impression on her. She wanted to learn to love as he loved and to be like-minded. Very often she would steal away to a quiet place to pray to this end. This she did almost every day. But since she had not yet learned the true, inspired way to pray for Christly love, after six months she grew tired of praying and discontinued the practice. It was not until years later when she learned of Christian Science that gradually she understood the true nature of love and came to understand Christ Jesus' hallowed thought.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

THE VALUE OF CLASS INSTRUCTION