Encouraging Changes

Violet Ker Seymer

The saying that the leopard cannot change his spots has sometimes been interpreted to mean that one's dominating defects of character are unalterable, or one's physical state unhealable. But the fact that God is changeless good can be applied to the healing of every condition mistakenly labeled incurable.

The third chapter of Zechariah portrays the change which took place in Joshua, who is there described as "standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him." Apparently much mental cleansing was taking place, for the "filthy garments" were taken from him and the voice of the Lord said, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." This mental change from belief in mortal impurity to the fact of spiritual purity takes place quite naturally through the practice of Christian Science. In fact, this change in individual consciousness is divinely inevitable. It is only the darkness of material ignorance which causes mortals to grope their way through life, victimized by countless temptations; and, even as the action of divine Principle wrought desirable changes in the consciousness of Joshua, and healed receptive multitudes in the days of Jesus, so now the light of Truth, in other words Christian Science, is redeeming and blessing those who imbibe its teachings.

"I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." God's creation, including man, has not been added to, nor has it deteriorated in any respect whatever. What can this abstract fact do for those who emphatically need to change from sin to holiness, suffering to health, sorrow to joy, and, moreover, to change quickly, ere they succumb to their torments? It can revive their hopes, satisfy their reason, and establish in them an intelligent sense of their true relation to God, changeless good. In short, it can heal them.

There is no emotionalism in Christian Science, but a sure, steady, sensible advance on the part of all who have a practical grasp of Principle and comply with its demands. This Science works encouraging changes in human character, health, longevity, relationships, and circumstances. This it accomplishes through the operation human consciousness of the divine Principle, Love. Divine Love has never changed to hate or been conscious of it. Spirit has never changed to matter, Life to death, nor Soul to corporeal sense.

As the fact of God's perfection reflected in His likeness dawns on mortals, they awaken to better ideals. Pure desires, being apart from the flesh and inspired by the allrighteous God, are destined in every case to be fulfilled. The vital necessity for our present and eternal salvation is that we grasp the true, spiritually revealed concept of God and man, in both the spirit and the letter, and then continuously bring out this true concept in practice. This does not change God or man, but it does change mankind. Furthermore, this change is of such a radical nature that it involves the eventual disappearing of all that is faulty and temporal in mortal belief.

On page 39 of "No and Yes" Mrs. Eddy says, "Prayer can neither change God, nor bring His designs into mortal modes; but it can and does change our modes and our false sense of Life, Love, and Truth, uplifting us to Him." This uplifting influence raises to their feet those who, in some guise, have fallen by the wayside because of their poor ideals. It is never too soon, nor too late, to seek this divinely wrought change.

Wherever Jesus went, encouraging transformations sprang up. And wherever Christian Science enters the heart, sin and suffering take flight, because one's consciousness is becoming illumined with the light of divine Love and Truth and is showing itself amenable to the government of divine Principle. All evil is baseless, causeless; it has no purpose, destination, destiny, or permanence. The effect of Christian Science is that our belief in estrangement from God is gradually replaced by the consciousness of being at-one with Him.

On page 50 of "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy writes, "Do you believe in change of heart?" In her affirmative reply she says, among other things, "We do believe, and understand—which is more—that there must be a change from human affections, desires, and aims, to the divine standard, 'Be ye therefore perfect.' " And she continues (ibid., p. 51), "This change of heart is essential to Christianity, and will have its effect physically as well as spiritually, healing disease." Every state of sin or physical suffering can be healed if one will but cease to resist the appeal of Truth and Love and learn, instead, to resist Satan, false materialistic belief. Which are we resisting? In Christian Science we are very definitely taught the right and wrong of this important question of resistance. We learn to cooperate with God's purposes only, to reflect the one healing, divine Mind, to align ourselves with Truth, and to cease voicing that which we desire to cease, and should now cease, experiencing.

Violet Ker Seymer

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