Doing Our Own Work Well

[Written Especially for Children]

SARAH ELEANOR PAINE

Johnny and Robert were very good friends and took music lessons from the same teacher. So, when the teacher asked them if they would like to play a duet together, they were very much pleased.

Now Robert had not studied music as long as Johnny had, and had never played a duet before.

When they began to practice together, Johnny began to watch Robert, who seemed a little slow at first. After Robert had made a few mistakes, Johnny said, "Now, Robert, if you'll just learn your part, we'll be all right."

Just a moment after that Johnny lost his own place and became so mixed up that they had to start at the beginning again.

Then the teacher said to them: "Johnny, you watch your own part and try to play it just right. And, Robert, you do the same."

When they did this, the results was very good. And in a few days they played for the rest of the pupils and their fathers and mothers without making one mistake.

This helped the boys to see that we must do our own work well without watching to see what someone else is doing. In school, if a pupil is watching the others instead of attending to his own work, he may make mistakes and also fail to hear or to understand the directions given.

On the other hand, if everyone in the school is intent on doing his own work well, the order in the room and the work of the children will be much improved.

The same thing is true about any work which several children are trying to do together. As Mrs. Eddy says in her book "Miscellaneous Writings" (pp. 283, 284), "The only personal help required in this Science is for each one to do his own work well, and never try to hinder others from doing theirs thus."

In a lovely story related in the Bible we are told that one of the disciples became rather anxious about another disciple, and asked Jesus, "Lord, and what shall this man do?" Part of Jesus' answer was: "What is that to thee? follow thou me."

The Bible tells us that later both disciples followed the true way so well that they were able to heal the sick, and teach many people the truth.

In the Christian Science Sunday School we are taught how to do our own work well. We learn what God is and that we are His children, reflecting all the intelligence we need for any work that comes to us.

And we must remember that the same Mind is present for all to reflect. So we should not need to watch others to see if their work is being well done.

In this way we can help our friends as well as ourselves, and keep the great commandment which Jesus gave us when he said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

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