Editorial October 14, 1967 Issue

An Honest Heart

William Milford Correll

One of the most delightful characteristics of a person is an honest heart, the candid, straightforward type of thinking that welcomes the truth and is willing to change whenever God directs. This type of thinking has nothing to hide; it does nothing for which it needs to apologize, and it does not entangle itself in devious methods. It advances readily in the understanding and practice of Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy says, "We never need to despair of an honest heart."^{Science and Health, p. 8;}

Christ Jesus evidently valued an honest heart. In his parable of the sower and the seed he describes sowing the seed of truth in various types of mentality, the fickle mentality, the shallow mentality, the hard mentality, and the encumbered mentality. And then he concluded, "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."^{Luke 8:15;} It is necessary in Christian Science to have this open type of thought because the power of Truth is reflected; and in order to be a transparency for Truth, the human consciousness must be free of encumbrance and deviousness. It is self-defeating to compromise or to divide one's loyalty. The only way to realize the presence of Truth is to come into harmony with it, to love it with all your heart and soul and mind. An honest heart comes face to face with its divine Principle and lets nothing obscure the reflection. Only in this way does the purity of Truth show forth with power and healing.

The necessity of proving one's position in Christian Science prevents hypocrisy. In speaking of this element of thought Jesus said, "There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known."^12:2; Sometimes when healings are delayed, there is need to face the situation squarely to see if there is divided loyalty in the picture—if one is really worshiping God with an honest heart. Certainly God does not withhold any good from man, and it is according to our fidelity that we experience God's goodness.