Article November 21, 1977 Issue

Don't Forget the Gate!

VIRGINIA F. DUNN

Gratitude is the gate in our wall of salvation. It lets love in and out. It blesses us and gives us opportunity to bless others.

In the Bible we read, "Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise."^{Isa. 60:18;} We should be sure that as we build our wall of salvation we don't forget to make the gate! Without praise for God, without gratitude, we may be building a solid wall with blocks of self-righteousness; and a wall without a gate can become a prison. So a gate is necessary — a gate of praise for our heavenly Father, God.

Sometimes we may seem to pray without success for healing or for guidance. Often what is needed is gratitude. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes: "Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more." In the next paragraph she continues, "If we are ungrateful for Life, Truth, and Love, and yet return thanks to God for all blessings, we are insincere and incur the sharp censure our Master pronounces on hypocrites."^{Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 3;} So, if a healing seems slow, perhaps we should widen our gates of praise.