Article February 26, 2018 Issue

‘Not in my house’

Mary Lou Gustafson

Recently I attended, as a guest, the annual association meeting of an authorized teacher of Christian Science.

After returning home, I was able to put into practice one of the comments he made relative to our weekly Bible Lesson—the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly. He stressed the importance of daily study of, and reflection on, the Lesson. The speaker made the point that we need to take time each day to reflect on what we have just learned from the Lesson, and to make those lessons our own.

I also read some notes relative to how Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, spiritually interprets Psalm 23 in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In explaining that divine Love keeps us protected and safe, it gives this interpretation: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [Love] for ever” (p. 578). When we understand house as a metaphor for consciousness, this interpretation helps us consider that we all have the opportunity to immediately deny harmful thoughts entry into our house—our thinking.