Article January 26, 1957 Issue

THE POWER OF PRAISE

ROSEMARY M. CRISP

It is clear that our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, was aware of the importance of praising God for His goodness, for she states in the Manual of The Mother Church (Art. XVII, Sect. 2), "Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years." In a heart filled with gratitude and love, there is no space for anything unlovely or unloving to manifest itself. True gratitude is an evidence of love, because when we are truly grateful for benefits, we cannot fail to love our benefactor.

Gratitude is necessarily an active quality. It cannot be expressed passively. With what unparalleled wisdom and foresight did our Leader provide her students with opportunities to express their praise not only in testimonies for publication in the Christian Science periodicals, but in the Wednesday testimony meetings, held by Churches of Christ, Scientist, and societies throughout the world. At these meetings, spontaneous expressions of thanks for all the many and varied ways in which God's goodness has been proved often result in healings among the listeners.

The uplifting effect which the expression of gratitude has on human consciousness is one which all students of Christian Science recognize and value. This expression increases our awareness of all that God has done, of things which we may have taken for granted or which we may have pushed into the distant recesses of our thought. Gratitude brings them to light and renews our appreciation of God's great goodness.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors