Article April 27, 1957 Issue

WHAT ARE WE WITHHOLDING?

GAIL M. ARNBERGER

God bestows upon us many spiritual blessings. These can never be wasted or used up. They are free to all. Jesus said to his disciples and to his followers in every age (Matt. 10:8), "Freely ye have received, freely give." Why, then, are we sometimes so frugal of our love or of our expression of some other spiritual quality? God never scrimps His love for us. We can gain nothing by being sparing with love. Why, then, do we give love in some instances and withhold it in others?

Christ Jesus withheld nothing. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and preached the gospel. He proved for all time that Life is deathless, that Love overcomes hate, and that there is no life in matter. Christ Jesus was not miserly in expressing love for mankind. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, could have withheld the revelation God gave her, but instead she chose to share it with the world. She understood clearly what real giving is and wrote in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 79), "Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us."

We cannot really express gratitude to God for our blessings unless we learn how to give graciously and lovingly, withholding nothing. Through our daily study of the Bible and Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, we gain a better understanding of God and of man created in His image and likeness. As we realize that our neighbors have the same Mind, the same Spirit, and the same source as ourselves, we are able to reflect more love, kindness, and goodness to them.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

THE AVAILABILITY OF LOVE