Article March 13, 1965 Issue

Keep Sweet

LAURA E. LOVETT MURPHY

A friend of mine was once asked what she considered the most important thing that she had gained from class instruction in Christian Science. After reflecting for a few moments, she replied, "I learned how to keep sweet."

My friend went on to explain that when she was a young girl, she was deeply distressed to see a close relative become bitter as a result of marital discord. Along with the bitterness came invalidism. At that time my friend knew nothing of Christian Science. Frequently she prayed: "Dear God, don't let me get bitter. Keep me sweet!" Soon she found Christian Science and learned how important it is to our health, as well as to our happiness, to keep sweet. Later on, class instruction taught her how to keep sweet.

Difficult experiences come to most of us, and it is up to us to respond to them in such a way that they sweeten rather than embitter us. Such experiences can serve to make us more understanding, more gracious, more compassionate, and more loving. Keeping sweet does not mean adopting a superficial, saccharine attitude which is sometimes referred to as being Pollyannaish. It means having the peace that passes understanding and expressing the joy and radiance of Soul. One achieves such sweetness by glimpsing, through spiritual sense, the allness of God, good, and the consequent unreality of evil.

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