Article December 21, 1981 Issue

A guiding star

AYLESA FORSEE

Every Christmas Eve during my childhood I would scan the sky and wish I could see the same great star the wise men had followed. Later in life I doubted the existence of any such star. Then a time came when my health and everything I valued seemed to collapse. I longed then not for a star in the sky but for a guiding light that would penetrate darkness and despair.

The first Christmas after I began studying Christian Science I found a statement by Mrs. Eddy that satisfied my need: "The star that looked lovingly down on the manger of our Lord, lends its resplendent light to this hour: the light of Truth, to cheer, guide, and bless man as he reaches forth for the infant idea of divine perfection dawning upon human imperfection,—that calms man's fears, bears his burdens, beckons him on to Truth and Love and the sweet immunity these bring from sin, sickness, and death."^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 320.}

Not to be confused with an astrological event, this star is more than beautiful symbolism. The light of Truth is timeless, changeless, and its star shines for everyone. Detecting it does, however, make demands upon us. The actions of the wise men give us some clues as to what these demands are. Open to the possibility of a wonderful event, expectant of a long-awaited fulfillment of promise, these men saw a great star invisible to or apparently ignored by others. Purposeful, inquiring, and brave enough to be different, they not only saw the light but trusted its guidance enough to leave the familiar for the untried.

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