Terror struck the heart of the young mother. Turning away from her sick child, she opened her Bible to gain some release from the intense fear that gripped her. The story of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, his only son, had a God-sent message for her that night as she studied carefully the account found in the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. A short time later, when she returned to the child, the little one was sleeping naturally. The fever was gone. The child was healed.

This was the first experience that mother had had with the intense fear that sometimes grips parents during the course of rearing their children. Since that night some twenty years ago this mother has met many crises concerning her children. At times the fear has reached panic proportions as she has faced accidents and illness, but the message of the story of Abraham and Isaac has always returned to give her strength and courage to trust her children to God and rely wholly on Christian Science for healing.

The Bible says that Abraham was tempted—tested—of God. Surely his testing was the same as that of many parents who look upon their children as material beings and personal possessions, belonging to them alone. Isaac was dear to his father—truly a child of promise—and the demand to sacrifice him upon the altar was indeed a hard one. But Abraham's complete willingness and honest desire to be guided of God brought home a great lesson to the patriarch. He gained a glimpse of the Christ, the true nature of God, divine Love, and realized that man is the child of God— knowledge that saved his son. And he received God's great promise, "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." ^{Gen. 22:16, 17;}

The lesson in this narrative that saved Isaac in ancient times and healed the modern young mother's child is a lesson all parents need to learn. Children belong to God, and parents serve their children best when they realize this spiritual fact and trustingly place each child in His care. A Christian Scientist understands that God is Life, and is responsible for every manifestation of Life. Mortal man can no more create real, spiritual life than he can create God. Because life cannot be separated from its creator, the child can never be separated from God. As parents lose a false sense of responsibility for their children, fear for the children's welfare vanishes.

The facts of divine Life, understood, bring a realization of the great spiritual truth that true existence antedates material birth, as well as continues after death. Thus the true identity of every child has existed in the consciousness of God forever. God, Mind, intelligently cares for His idea, His child, forever. This was true long before the human babe became apparent to his parents through birth.

Divine Mind's absolute control over that which it creates is established in Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy writes, "The evidence of divine Mind's healing power and absolute control is to me as certain as the evidence of my own existence." ^{Science and Health, p. 177;} She also says, "If we understood the control of Mind over body, we should put no faith in material means." ^{p. 169;} And she further declares: "The scientific government of the body must be attained through the divine Mind. It is impossible to gain control over the body in any other way." ^{p. 167;}

A parent who is a Christian Scientist does not spend hours worrying about the bodily functions of his child, for he confidently accepts the above truths and depends upon Mind to control every aspect of the child's being. Knowing that his child is thoroughly governed by divine Mind protects the child, for it releases him from the thoughts of the mortal minds that surround him and would hold him under the laws of material existence.

Fear of illness or accident is not the only thing that brings distress to parents. School problems bring nightmares of misunderstanding into some families. Some children bog down in their seeming inability to meet today's standards in education, or even find themselves unable to get along with teachers and classmates. In such cases, the ability to know that each idea of God is created with a holy plan and purpose lifts the parents' thoughts to reflect divine intelligence and relieves them of the false sense of responsibility that would say that they have to plan and outline children's lives.

The knowledge of man's oneness with divine Mind helps parent and child prove that this Mind governs even the unfoldment of a human education. No material event can harm, set aside, or interfere with Mind's holy plan and purpose for each idea. Instead of humanly outlining what a child's life should accomplish, a parent can intelligently pray that divine Love is guiding both parent and child. Then the rearing of children becomes a great adventure for all concerned.

Christ Jesus knew the place of each child in the Father's kingdom, for the Bible records: "Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." ^{Matt. 19:13, 14.} It was this same great spiritual truth expressed by the Master that, to a degree, Abraham perceived, and that enabled him humbly to turn his son over to God. Today's parents do their part to ensure safety and success for their children when they, too, acknowledge the fact that children belong to God.