"And if you don't get the root all out," the announcer warned, "the dandelions just pop right back up again." A TV commercial for a turf conditioner was explaining that the only way to remove dandelions permanently is to extract the entire root, which is quite difficult. The turf conditioner offers a solution because it destroys the whole root of the dandelion while improving the soil and encouraging desirable grasses. The premise is that a strong, healthy lawn provides no space for dandelions.

The human consciousness, like a well-kept lawn, needs tending in order to become and remain beautiful. Any evils we discover in thought should certainly be rooted out—one by one, if necessary. But shouldn't we also be applying a generous dose of nourishing turf conditioner? Christ, the true idea of God, feeds us with harmony, permeates our being with goodness. The true idea reveals God's intelligent, harmonious laws ceaselessly governing. It helps us realize that no person or event can interfere with divine Mind's certain guidance of our activities.

Once I was suddenly confronted by a stranger who made accusing statements and ugly remarks. The brief encounter left me totally upset. My thoughts alternated between pity for myself and dislike of the stranger. But the ever-present healing Christ demanded, "Are you going to let evil's rudeness ruin your day? Are you going to rehash this all afternoon and feel miserable?" I desired to hear only what God had to say, and the message continued: "You must love that man. You don't have to like the churlish attitude; that is no part of him. Respect his true, spiritual nature. Even if you have not seen it, you can rejoice that God sees and loves it. Every time you think of that man, you love what God loves."

A severe mental struggle followed. The effort lay in refusing to relive the event, in rooting out the mental images. During the remainder of the day, whenever my thoughts wandered to the unpleasant encounter, I mentally shook my head and maintained, "No. God loves him, and I do too." Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, assures us, "The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love." ^{Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 201;} By the next morning, the mental cloud had lifted. Through "flood-tides of Love," the error had been extracted.

When faced with aggressive evil, we decide our course of action. Claiming God's closeness, care, and protection, we feel peace of mind, no matter what evil presents. We are never helpless. Good, God, always supports us in opposing wrong. Understanding our selfhood as God's spiritual idea, we can resist every attack of mortal mind and reject the barrage of "whys": Why did this have to happen? Why is this person so hateful? Why me? No circumstance can isolate us from God's loving embrace. Fed and sustained by Christ, Truth, we are sure of victory.

The importance of feeding thought with truth as well as weeding out error is shown in Christ Jesus' illustration about the unclean spirit. ^{See Luke 11:24-26;} After the spirit's expulsion, the man's house (consciousness) had been thoroughly "swept and garnished." Evidently no new tenants—good thoughts—were brought in to occupy this tidy dwelling because when the evil spirit, or error, returned with seven friends, they moved right in—rendering the man worse than before. Had consciousness been immediately filled with good, the evil would have found, in effect, a "No vacancy" sign and could not have entered.

The "feeding" process can begin any time. One needn't politely wait until all evil has been removed before applying the truth of being. Remember Zacchaeus, the little tax collector, who so earnestly welcomed the Christ into his (physical and mental) home? ^{See 19:1-10;} Christ Jesus did not say, "When you quit being greedy and stingy, then I will abide with you." The limitless outreach of Jesus' love embraced Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus responded. Former traits of self-serving, dishonesty, and desire for riches began to dissolve under the impact of Truth. Zacchaeus promised to pay back fourfold those he had cheated. Jesus confirmed the transformation: "This day is salvation come to this house."

Is our love building bridges to the "tax collectors" we meet? Are we ready to discern and nurture the qualities of sincerity and spiritual hunger that Jesus evidently saw in Zacchaeus? Or are we preoccupied with the weeds of dishonesty, greed, lust, ineptness, and self-importance?—all in the other fellow's yard, of course.

We regularly nourish our bodies with proper food. How much more important to feed our thinking with the truth of being revealed in Christ. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Warmed by the sunshine of Truth, watered by the heavenly dews of Love, the fruits of Christian Science spring upward, and away from the sordid soil of self and matter. Are we clearing the gardens of thought by uprooting the noxious weeds of passion, malice, envy, and strife?" And she adds later: "The weeds of mortal mind are not always destroyed by the first uprooting; they reappear, like devastating witch-grass, to choke the coming clover. O stupid gardener! watch their reappearing, and tear them away from their native soil, until no seedling be left to propagate—and rot." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 343.}

Let's weed and feed—uproot "the noxious weeds of passion, malice, envy, and strife," and nourish thought with the Christ. Then consciousness, like a well-kept lawn, will be weed-free and beautiful.