Article June 8, 1981 Issue

We can do more than just cope

JENNIFER S. YOUNGMAN

Overwhelmed by a huge, unexpected snowfall after eight days of rain, my backpacking partner and I barely endured a cold, wet, sleepless night, somewhat crushed beneath our tarp in the wilderness. "You shouldn't have just coped," a colleague explained afterward, listing what we could have done to improve our situation.

I now love snowy nights in the wilderness, but I cherish even more the realization that we need never be content merely to cope with any situation. Christian Science shows us that through Christ we have all the knowledge, fortitude, and good judgment necessary for expressing dominion over circumstances. Science teaches us how to claim the unrestricted good that is ours.

Coping involves a struggle, and if we have long been coping with a situation, becoming toilworn in the process, maybe we should reexamine what we are struggling for. Mrs. Eddy points out, "The struggle for Truth makes one strong instead of weak, resting instead of wearying one."^{Science and Health, p. 426.}