Article August 15, 1988 Issue

Family relationships

The Christian Science Monitor

One of the tenderest family stories in literature is found in the book of Ruth in the Bible. A woman kindly urges her widowed daughter-in-law to return to her native home where her people can care for her. Refusing to leave, Ruth declares her devotion in simple, eloquent words: "Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."^{Ruth 1:16.} How encouraging to hear of individuals whose relationship is so strengthened by spiritual bonds of love and loyalty that it endures great hardships, ultimately bringing happiness and fulfillment to all involved!

This moving story reaches across the centuries and strikes a responsive chord in anyone with a deep appreciation for strong family ties. Families face complex challenges. Division and discord urge us to recognize that steps to protect and stabilize this nucleus of care and support must begin. One way to bring healing to family relationships is to grasp the importance of this vital factor: respect for the individuality of man.

It may seem paradoxical that a better understanding of individual identity can bring harmony and healing to a family. Yet we see this is true when we consider that the God-derived qualities which hold a family together—love, moral integrity, forgiveness, trust —are expressed individually. A higher, more spiritual view of each family member reveals individual value that brings the strength of Christly character to the family. Reaching beyond a superficial, personal view of individuals in order to discern the spiritual goodness in them enables us to glimpse something of the beauty and distinctness of man's true, spiritual individuality. Mrs. Eddy writes, "Man and woman as coexistent and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality, the infinite Father-Mother God."^{Science and Health, p. 516.}

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