The guilt trip

The guilt trip—it's no joy ride. If you've ever taken it, you can attest to that. And if you've never gone for a ride on this agonizing road, congratulations! You're one of the very few of us who hasn't. Here is an example of how my own guilt trip came to a screeching stop.

I was the Reader of our Christian Science college organization. A few years prior to this I had made the not-so-firm decision to stop smoking cigarettes. Being a member of The Mother Church, I had vowed that I wouldn't smoke or drink. I knew both cigarettes and alcohol steal away God's very first gift to man, dominion. Although I had given up actual smoking, the desire still lingered. Once in a blue moon this dormant desire would surface, and I'd take a drag of a friend's cigarette. When I was sitting in an English class one day, my blue moon appeared. So, I lit up. As if on cue, someone from our college organization strolled into the room.

This person was a brand-new member of the organization and a new student of Christian Science. He frequently asked me, as an experienced Christian Scientist, questions about our religion's demands and rewards. And there I was, Reader of the organization, blowing smoke rings!

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Never out of place
May 29, 1978
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