Article January 30, 1989 Issue

Love's irresistible dawning

What can we do when world events vividly show us man's inhumanity to man?

Judith Ann Hardy

"Love now is dawning over every nation," Christian Science Hymnal, No. 179. I was singing in church less than an hour after seeing, on television, news footage of three soldiers in the Middle East pounding on two defenseless captives with brick-sized rocks. So troubled was I by this graphic picture of man's inhumanity to man—which I knew wasn't all one-sided in that particular conflict—that to see Love, God, doing any dawning in that nation seemed impossible.

The thought came, "If only I hadn't seen those pictures." But I knew better. I knew that being a Christian means making a commitment to help lessen evil in the world. And that far from being an ivory tower in which to hide from seeing human suffering, a study of the Science of Christ requires and impels us to pray for a consciousness pure and spiritual enough to see through the material picture, no matter how alarming it appears. Our task is, through prayer, to express in our lives more of the spiritual fact of God's perfect control of His universe, which is also perfect and spiritual. The Christly conviction of Love's omnipotence heals.

Isn't this what Christ Jesus did and taught his disciples to do in the midst of such "commotions"—wars, famines, epidemics, and so forth? "Be not terrified," he said in speaking of troubled times ahead. "Look up, and lift up your heads. ... Know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." See Luke 21:9, 28, 31. This spiritual and scientific perception that heals is not the result of intellectual endeavor or psychological self-programming; it is spiritual understanding. We cultivate it as we consistently, conscientiously refuse the material evidence (always illusion, though seeming to be fact). We listen for God's "still small voice," present in every consciousness, and saying, "'Be still, and know that I am God' Ps. 46:10 . —here now and good and All." As we do so, His tenderness and might come to light in our thought. This is Love's dawning, and like the dawn, although beginning gradually, it grows brighter as we hold and cherish each glimpse until we behold clearly His harmonious control. The natural and necessary effect of this dawning is healing, for Love compels the human to conform, demonstrating God's kingdom on earth.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
POSITIVE PRESS
January 30, 1989
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit