Obeying Orders

[Of Special Interest to Children]

ELIZA J. MAGEE

Little Billy was just live years old. He was glad when his daddy came home from war. He told Billy about the big ships he had been on and the great number of sailors on them, and explained that it was the duty of everyone on those ships to obey instantly the orders of his commanding officer.

Billy had been going to the Christian Science Sunday School since he was two years old, and he loved to repeat to Mother the Bible stories he heard there. One Sunday the teacher talked about Noah, pointing out his obedience when God told him to build the ark. When Billy got home he told his mother the story, saying, "Noah built the ark just as God wanted it to be done. You see," he said, "he obeyed orders just as Daddy and all those sailors on the ship did. Maybe Noah didn't want to go into the ark, but he obeyed, and when the flood? came he was saved. So, Mother, I am going to be obedient too. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it."

"That's fine, Billy," said Mother. "You'll find that we are always happy when we are obedient." Then she said, "You know our textbook tells us, 'Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action' (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 454). That means that if we really want to do right, we shall have right thoughts given to us, and these will tell us what to do and give us strength to say and do only that which is good." And she continued, "But we must be sure to listen for right thoughts, for they come from God and are the only real thoughts."

"I know," said Billy. "Noah listened for right thoughts, and so did Joseph and Daniel. They all obeyed orders."

Not many days after this, Billy was playing ball with his chum Fred. They were having lots of fun when Mother came to the door and called Billy. Fred said. "Oh, don't go; just let on you don't hear her."

But Billy remembered about obeying orders and listening for right thoughts to help us know how to act. So Billy threw the ball to Fred and said, "I'm obeying orders."

When Mother met him at the door she said, "Daddy just telephoned to say that he had a free afternoon and would take us out to Uncle Jed's farm."

Now this was the pleasure that Billy enjoyed most of all. On the way home he told his mother of the temptation to let on that he had not heard her when she called. "I know," said Mother. "I overheard Fred."

"Mother," said Billy, "do you think that Fred has been taught to know God as we have?"

"What makes you ask that?" said Mother.

"Well," said Billy, "if Fred knew that God is Love he would want to obey God's orders. He would not want to tell an untruth just to have a good time."

Mother replied, "You're right, Billy. Mrs. Eddy says, 'Divine Mind rightly demands man's entire obedience, affection, and strength' (ibid., p. 183). If we obeyed orders only when it pleased us to do so, and disobeyed when the orders were not what we liked, we should not be giving entire obedience to God, should we?"

"No," said Billy. "And, Mother, when we love God, we love everybody, don't we?"

"Yes," replied his mother. "The Bible commands that 'he who loveth God love his brother also'" (I John 4:21).

"I'm going to take one of those nice apples I got at the farm over to Fred," said Billy. And off Billy ran, singing, "I will listen for Thy voice," from Mrs. Eddy's poem "Feed My Sheep" (Poems, p.15).

Mother was very happy, for she knew that Billy had taken hold of something he never could lose. She said softly to herself, "'Shepherd, show me how to go' (ibid.) that I too may hear Thy voice and obey orders."

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