What a good idea!

T. Jewell Collins

When Mark’s mother told him that everyone was an idea of God, made in His image and likeness, Mark said: “I don’t want to be an idea. I want to be a real boy that everyone can see!”

“But you are a real boy,” she said. “An idea isn’t the shadow of you. It’s what you are. As a child of God, you’re His good idea! I can see you, but I can’t see your honesty or the love you express or your friendliness and good humor. But I know they are there. I know they are a part of you.”

Mark still wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, so his mother thought about it some more. Then she said, “When you’re outside playing with your friends, don’t you ever say to them, ‘Hey, guys, I have an idea’?”

“Yeah,” Mark said, “all the time.”

“And when you tell them your idea, can you feel or touch it?”

“No,” laughed Mark.

“But you can show it to them in some way, right?” she asked. “If it’s an idea to play capture the flag, you form teams and play the game. And when something goes wrong in the game, don’t you go back to the idea of how the game is supposed to be played? Don’t you go back to the rules to find out what you need to do to correct the mistake?” Mark nodded.

“Well, just like ‘capture-the-flag’ is an idea, you are, too,” his mother said. “And when things go wrong, you go to God for help. Remember the time you said your ear hurt? I read something to you from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy that said: ‘Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements…. Man is idea, the image, of Love; …’ ” (p. 475 ).

“I remember that—I took a nap, and when I woke up, my ear didn’t hurt any more!”

“And what did we do next?” his mother asked.

“We thanked God for making me a spiritual idea!” Mark said, smiling.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

Joint pain healed

December 9, 2013

Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit