Family relationships, if not based upon unselfed love, often present serious problems. Discords would not arise within family circles if individuals understood the divine relationship which exists between God and His children. Too often, the close association between members of a family results in the feeling that one has a certain ownership of another's thoughts and actions. Domination and human outlining for another are enemies to right endeavor and must be recognized and seen through in all their disguises. Everyone must be free to express God, good. It is essential, then, to understand that God holds His universe of spiritual ideas in their proper relationship to each other, and that they live and move in loving obedience to Him. The human thought cannot discern true guidance until it is enlightened by spiritual understanding; therefore it is the part of wisdom to leave the government of family relationships to the all-embracing love of God.

To assure peace and safety in human affairs, everyone must be free to act according to his highest sense of right. Willful dictating and human planning frequently keep one from recognizing divine guidance. In the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes (p. 295): "God creates and governs the universe, including man. The universe is filled with spiritual ideas, which He evolves, and they are obedient to the Mind that makes them." When one understands the government of ideas according to God's plan, he must necessarily be a law unto himself through divine direction.

How often one is prone to feel that his father or his mother, wife, friend, or brother is responsible for what he calls a bad disposition or for his lack of spiritual growth! He may at times feel bound by so-called family obligations to swerve from his course of duty and lament that he has been deprived of progress. He may even say, "If things were different at home, I could be a better Christian Scientist!" Regardless of how convincing these arguments of mortal mind may sound, it is being proved continually in Christian Science that the solution of what would seem very serious family problems lies in the proper understanding of God and of man's divine relationship to Him.

From the time that our Master, Christ Jesus, was a young boy he realized that the claims of human relationship must not keep him from being about his Father's business. He knew that to fulfill his mission he must live in obedience to God's commands. This understanding, however, did not hinder him from expressing love for and loyalty to those who were near and dear to him, but it gave him the freedom of thought and action so necessary to the accomplishment of his mighty work.

At one time while he was talking to the people. Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were standing without, wishing to speak with him. But he answered and said (Matt. 12:48-50). "Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?" And stretching forth his hands towards his disciples he said: "Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Human demands did not swerve our Master from his allotted tasks. Only the Christ, which he manifested, could direct the events of his ordered life.

God orders the lives of all His children. Hence the attempts of mortals to interfere with God's government present serious problems to be overcome. But Christian Science teaches us how to overcome the problems of mortal mind and shows us how to claim and prove man's relationship to God. Christian Science awakens us to a broader sense of loving unity with God dispelling the narrow limits of human ownership, and embracing all of God's ideas in one universal family. Human relationship may be narrow and demanding, but divine relationship ever abounds in love and freedom.

A young woman who was greatly disturbed by confusing family relationships took up the study of Christian Science to obtain quietness and peace of thought. She was confronted with the problem of rearing a family of three small boys who became part of her responsibility when she married. At first she felt that these dear children belonged to someone else, and she suffered keenly in trying to win their love and affection, which she thought were lacking because they were not her own. This false sense of relationship persisted until she learned through Christian Science that God is the Father and Mother of all, that every child of God has a place in His love, and that no one can take another's place. She learned that in the truth of being we are all children of Love and that there is plenty of love for all. When she was healed of her wrong sense of relationship, her experience as a stepmother was most joyful, and the love expressed toward her was full. Through her guidance the boys had the privilege of attending the Christian Science Sunday School, and now that they are men they are giving their children this privilege. The deep sense of love which she felt toward this family was much greater than the limited sense of parental love which might have been hers had she not learned the truth about divine relationship.

A selfish attitude obstructs the demonstration of harmonious relationship. The kind of giving which says. "I have done this for you. Now you owe that to me," is not based on unselfed love and will never encourage happy relationship. To live harmoniously with others, one's giving must be based on the reflection of divine Love. It cannot be humanly demanding. The kind of giving which reflects the great Giver of all good must be unselfed. It must be the giving that demands nothing in return but understands that it possesses all good through its reflection of God.

In "Miscellaneous Writings" we read ( p. 151): "God is our Father and our Mother, our Minister and the great Physician: He is man's only real relative on earth and in heaven." He it is who supplies all good. He owns all there is to own. Then, God must be All-in-all to each one. Right relationship cannot be based upon ownership or the selfish commanding of another's time and thought. It is found in the understanding of God as the only Parent and of man as His son. Anything that would counterfeit divine relationship through selfishness and domination must be destroyed if family relationships are to be harmonious. They must lead away from self into the understanding of true unity and co-operation.

Parents should watch that they are guiding and directing the child thought according to Principle and not from selfish motives. Children should regard their parents unselfishly. Everyone must have freedom of thought and action. Happy marital relationships are unselfish, pure, and cooperative. They are most successful when they are based upon an unselfish spirit of giving and loving.

Unity of thought and desire, coupled with unselfed love, will accomplish untold good. Let us strive for a better understanding of divine relationship. Let us better demonstrate the unselfed love which will establish individual and lasting peace.

The words of a hymn express a prayer for this divine relationship. It is in part: