Article July 27, 1992 Issue

Trust the instructions!

Following the rules of scientific Christianity leads to understanding—and healing.

Rhonda K. Hutchinson-Brooks

While on a family holiday, I had the thrill of white-water rafting. Our instructor first took ten minutes to give us careful instructions about how to maneuver our weight and synchronize our paddling. Even more important, he emphasized the necessity of following his commands immediately and exactly. If we procrastinated, it could be too late!

As we approached our first rapids, it looked quite frightening. But we had our rules, and we stuck to them—although a bit frantically at first and with hearts pounding. Soon our confidence grew as we relied more consistently on the rules, having seen for ourselves that they "worked" and that we were quite safe as long as we were alert and obedient. Before long, rafting on white water was a marvelous, exciting adventure. We negotiated the rapids with real delight.

This experience showed me how, as a Christian Scientist, I could approach the challenges of daily life—by relying on the rules of scientific Christianity found in the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings. We might say our "instructor" in life is the Word of God, and we prove God's presence and control when we faithfully obey His commands in the way that Christ Jesus taught—"as a little child." We in that raft were certainly like little children. We knew we couldn't control our course down the river except by obedience to certain rules. In the same way, if we wish to practice Christian Science healing effectively, we have to obey the rules exactly, without argument. Confidence, firmness of faith, and understanding of the true nature of God and man come as we follow the rules. Mrs. Eddy writes, "When I wrote "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,' I little understood all that I indited; but when I practised its precepts, healing the sick and reforming the sinner, then I learned the truth of what I had written" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany).

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