Article September 26, 1977 Issue

Remember to Forget

ELIZABETH BICE LUERSSEN

When reminded of cruel treatment she had received, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, is reported to have replied, "I distinctly remember forgetting that!" There is much to be said for the ability to forget the mistakes, hurts, grievances, accidents, or tragedies of the past. Christian Science requires more, however. It shows us how to scientifically erase such memories—to wipe them out with the great spiritual fact that man's true history is spiritual, faultless, good.

"Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth," declares the book of Isaiah, "and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." Isa. 65: 17; When we hold to the good and the true— remember God's allness—we cease to honor evil.

We needn't go around like battle-scarred veterans, bearing the marks of previous encounters. The pang of regret, the lump of resentment, the furrow of sorrow, should not be retained as reminders of the past. That which was never recorded in or by the divine Mind, God, need not be recorded on human thought or body. For our own good we all must be willing not only to discard the erroneous pictures of the past but also to thoroughly destroy the negatives. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, was well aware of the dubious effect on health produced by mulling over evil. She begins her allegory of a mental court trial: "A man is charged with having committed liver-complaint. The patient feels ill, ruminates, and the trial commences." Science and Health, p. 430;

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Poem
ECLIPSE?
September 26, 1977
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit