Editorial January 5, 1974 Issue

When a Character Improves

Naomi Price

People change. The experiences they have, the good people they live and work with, the philosophies they are exposed to, influence them—very frequently for the better. But if they are active students of Christian Science, change for the better is always predictable. Their characters can be expected to show substantial improvement, since, through their daily study of the Bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mrs. Eddy, they are becoming increasingly conscious of the nature of true being—the strength and goodness of divine Spirit, God, and the consequent spiritual strength and goodness of man who is God's likeness. And having discerned this Christly truth they will try to express more of the divine character and quite often be successful.

The gentle, transforming influence of the Christly understanding of God and of man's perfect nature as God's idea does wonders for mankind. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character."^{Science and Health, p. 492;}

We like to think that we ourselves have improved—and no doubt we have, as the perfect, spiritual nature of man has unfolded to us. If we have worked to live in accord with this vision, we have become more patient and consistently loving, more intelligent and well disciplined, more independent and reliable. If we can see improvement in our own character and wish others to acknowledge it, should we not be eager to see and admit improvement in others as well? It does not augur well for our future betterment if we display so little faith in God's universal law of progress as to condemn without mercy those we knew in the past, assuming they are still victims of the same character weaknesses they displayed years ago.

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