Article September 14, 1987 Issue

Right and wrong

Trying to prove that our personal opinion is right may be keeping us from proving what is spiritually true. And only spiritual truth can bring lasting resolution to conflict.

Larry A. Graves

I Hung up the telephone angrily after a long conversation with my girlfriend. She was wrong, and I knew it. She misinterpreted my comments, accused me of criticizing her when I wasn't, and.

As I first sat down to pray about the situation, I wanted to find a way to help her understand her mistakes and see that my interpretation of things was right. Then I realized what really needed healing was my unchristian reaction to events. I saw that human standards of right and wrong are by themselves inadequate as a basis for real healing. If I wanted a pure Christian healing and not merely to get my way, the healing had to be based on a Christianly scientific understanding of reality and not on a human conception of propriety.

This prayer—this desire to let God's will be done—healed my anger and resentment and enabled me to talk humbly and lovingly with my friend about the issues at hand. I was willing to rely on divine Love's gentle, healing touch and guidance rather than to force my solution. Once my anger and contention—major causes of the problem—had been dissolved in my thought, the issues themselves became less important and were easy to resolve.

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