Words, kind and unkind, and the intents behind them, often influence our thoughts and actions. Unkind words spoken to us by others may not cause physical damage, but they can shatter our view of ourselves. The fact that thoughtless, even cruel, comments often seem to hurt most after periods of flattery or self-satisfaction should alert us to be less sensitive about others' personal opinions of us, pro or con. Instead of being elated or devastated by what others say, we can put their words in proper perspective. Christian Science enables us to grow stronger by helping us to overcome both pride and hurt.

I remember an experience that was a growing time for me. I went to a gala concert, wearing a beautiful new dress, and I entered that concert hall with self-assurance. In the lobby I was delighted to see an old friend. Then came the unexpected blow. Her first words were devastatingly harsh and unkind. Suddenly it seemed as though she and the whole world saw me as a miserable flop. My self-confidence evaporated in an instant. As I look back now it seems ridiculous that a mere remark could have been so devastating, a remark I could have tossed into my mental wastebasket. But isn't that the nature of any wrong—whether serious or trivial? It appears real and powerful. No matter how the magnitude of the incident might be measured, it taught me some important lessons.

I scarcely heard that concert. I could only mull over the remark. Why? Why—and how—could she say such a mean thing? I spent the next two days in despair. At first I tried to forget, but I couldn't shake off those words. Finally, feeling the need of spiritual support, I went to see a Christian Science practitioner.

First the practitioner asked whether I had considered that my friend might be in despair herself—and later I learned that this was in fact the case. Unkindness often acts like a contagion. (All the more reason to put an end to it.) What I didn't realize until much later was that I might have extended the chain reaction and hurt another friend; I had been so preoccupied with my own hurt that night. Through study of the Bible and of the writings of Mrs. Eddy, and through prayer with the help of the practitioner, I was healed of resentment, self-depreciation, and fear.

This healing was twofold. It awoke me to see myself as the perfect child of God, and it awoke me to see my friend in the same light. The healing didn't require the other person's apologies. What was needed was the elevation of my own thinking. Not pretending that the remark was never said! Not trying to shut it out of thought through some kind of hypnotic forgetting! I simply saw the remark as error that had no power to offend me, because in the allness of God's love, no hate or hurt could exist. The unkind remark then lost its ability to degrade my thought about myself and about the one who had spoken it. The offense vanished in the light of God's love for us both.

This small healing, modest as it is by comparison to Christ Jesus' experience, developed in me a much deeper appreciation for what he had to meet during his ministry and even on the cross, when his enemies mocked him. More than once he was accused of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. He was called a glutton, a winebibber, and the companion of sinners and despised tax collectors. Yet he always responded with a God-directed answer—an answer that can teach mankind a spiritual lesson. He certainly did not let verbal cruelty, and the malicious intent behind it, disrupt his healing ministry.

The Old Testament tells of Nehemiah, who met and overcame the carnal mind's malice. First it took the form of ridicule, when he set out to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Then it took the form of physical resistance, then subtle attempts to trick and manipulate, and finally false accusation. He resisted all these disruptive ploys, and through reliance on God the wall was finished.

Mrs. Eddy, too, had many encounters with malicious attempts to disrupt her work as Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science through slander, false reports and rumors, and even an attempt in court to declare her incompetent. Yet through un-selfed love, prayer, and the scientific realization of man's true nature as Love's expression, Mrs. Eddy could write: "Brethren, even as Jesus forgave, forgive thou. I say it with joy,—no person can commit an offense against me that I cannot forgive. Meekness is the armor of a Christian, his shield and his buckler." ^{Message to The Mother Church for 1902, p. 19.}

With humility and Christly forgiveness we can dismantle unkind remarks, whether they are about our loved ones or us. The Master said: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. ... For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?" ^{Matt. 5:44, 46.} There is no better way to deal with unkindness than to dissolve it through divine Love, in whose light and love it loses any power to harm.

Even if heartless words are spoken with intentional cruelty and are followed by threats of disruptive action or even physical harm, we have our protection from God. Seeing ourselves as surrounded by God's loving armor, at every moment in every place, can help us to rise above fear and guide us to safety. As the Psalmist promises, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." ^{Ps. 91:1.}

Christian Science helps us so beautifully to gain the whole healing of distress over others' words. Divine Love, God, heals ruminating memory and the emotional turmoil and bodily discomforts it can bring. To feel and live Love puts to rest all the hurts and resentments, major and minor, until we see only God's man in ourselves and others.