Christian Science opens the way to joy and true satisfaction. It does not ask that we give up anything good or lovely. But it does require the relinquishment of that which would enslave us and rob us of our freedom to think or act rightly. The only sacrifices asked of us are of those things that would befog our vision, confuse our thinking, or cause undue contemplation of the physical body. And when these sacrifices are made, the Christian Scientist finds he has really given up nothing, but instead has opened wide the gateways to freedom.

When Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, his dearest treasure, as a burnt offering, Abraham immediately took steps to obey. He did not argue, he did not cry, nor did he curse his God. He rose up early and took his son to the place which God had designated. Here Abraham built the altar, laid the wood in order, bound Isaac, and placed him on the altar. And just as he stretched forth his hand to slay his son, the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven (Gen. 22:11, 12): "Abraham, Abraham. ... Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

Abraham found that when he evidenced the willingness to make the utmost sacrifice which he believed God required of him, he did not need to make it. Instead, from that time onward great rewards flowed forth from the great Giver of all good.

Are we equally willing to obey the demands of Christian Science, which involve what the world calls sacrifice? On page 114 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" Mary Baker Eddy writes, "Christian Science teaches: Owe no man; be temperate; abstain from alcohol and tobacco; be honest, just, and pure; cast out evil and heal the sick; in short, Do unto others as ye would have others do to you."

Why is abstaining from alcohol and tobacco necessary if one would be a faithful Christian Scientist? Primarily because the Christian Scientist is striving "to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (II Cor. 5:8). How can we leave the body out of our thinking, or be absent from it, when we believe that the indulgence of sensual habits is necessary or pleasurable?

A Christian Scientist does not worship his body. He understands that he is the master of his body, not its servant. He endeavors not to do anything that would cause him to believe that life and sensation are in matter. He does not seek escape from trying problems through dulling the senses with drugs or intoxicants, but instead he strives for an alert mentality in order to meet demands of the day through communion with God. Moreover, the Scientist does not believe that using liquor or tobacco forwards his social or business success; rather, he knows that true success is attained through reflecting the qualities of God and that only these qualities attract.

One who had been reared in a Christian Science home from infancy entered upon a career of advertising after graduating from college. It was believed by his fellow employees, and particularly by the head of the advertising agency in which he worked, that drinking was a necessity if one wished to be successful. One day this employer called the student of Christian Science into his office, berated him for his unwillingness to drink with his clients, and urged him to do so if he wished to progress in the company.

Even though it was a so-called depression year in which jobs were not at all plentiful, the student lovingly but firmly explained that he would never drink, no matter what he had to give up in the way of material advancement, even if it were the job itself. The moral courage and the words with which to express this God-given quality enabled him to speak with sincerity and conviction, and the employer calmly accepted the decision.

For twenty years the student continued with this firm, becoming its vice-president and the general manager of its office in a very large city, where entertaining and social drinking seemed a must. Yet never in those twenty years did he drink or smoke. Great respect was shown to him by his employer and his clients, and no loss ever occurred from taking this stand for God, good.

At the end of the twenty years, God, divine Love, pointed the way through the Christ, Truth, and he retired from business to enter the practice of Christian Science. Although it looked as if many changes must be made in his way of living, there again proved to be no need for sacrifice. Within a very few months Love provided a home even more beautiful than the one surrendered, income was adequate to meet all the needs of a growing family, and joyous activity doubled.

Truly, Christian Scientists who are willing to leave all for God find that they are leading happy, satisfied lives. Theirs is not a dull experience, devoid of pleasure. "And pleasure is no crime," points out Mrs. Eddy in a discussion of how Truth is to be won (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 362), "except when it strengthens the influence of bad inclinations or lessens the activities of virtue."

When we exchange worldly pleasures for the joys of Spirit, we find that we have actually gained a greater and more enduring sense of true freedom.