One of the many blessings gained through the study of Christian Science is a higher concept of patient waiting. Patience is often held to be simply an uncomplaining state of resignation maintained until affairs take a turn. With this concept in mind, a man once said: "There is something wrong with patient waiting! I cannot accept as a Christian virtue an attitude of thought which is supine while evil runs riot. Is not alert action better than patient waiting?"

Certainly inertia and inaction are not good: but these undesirable qualities have nothing in common with true patience, which goes hand in hand with alert action. Patience is a positive and not a negative quality; it is akin to calmness, poise, and serenity. Waiting in its true sense means serving. One who waits on table serves guests and patrons. Patient waiting, then, means calmly serving God while the truth, already established in Science, unfolds to view. It is through prayer, consecration, love, and spiritual communion that the fact of God's presence and power is established in consciousness. Patience and constancy in the exercise of these activities are essential to gaining ground in the understanding of God and man's relation to Him.

The omnipotence of Spirit is not evident to the corporeal senses. In order to demonstrate harmony in human experience, therefore, material sense testimony must be denied, reversed, and superseded by the discernment of spiritual facts. A familiar passage from I John (3:2) reads, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." Man's sonship with God is established; but this fact appears to human consciousness only by decrees. As the true nature of God as infinite Mind, Spirit. Soul, Principle appears, we become aware of man's inherent perfection as the child of God and demonstrate health, harmony, and freedom.

A human being believes he is ill. He feels sick; evidence of disease is manifest; the senses testify that his condition is abnormal. But the Christian Scientist knows that the appearance is illusion, untrue, unreal, since harmony characterizes God's creation and man and cannot be superseded by inharmony. From the basis of the reality of good and the consequent unreality of evil, he strives to see man as God causes him to be, perfect, sinless, indestructible. Knowing that Life is God, the Scientist does not fear that the so-called sick man may lose his life. He insists mentally and audibly that man is God's child, not subject to suffering. He acknowledges that ever-present divine Love destroys fear and restores harmony. In the words of Scripture (II Tim. 1:7), "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

So-called natural science has reversed sense testimony in many instances. The men who discerned the fact concerning the shape of the earth could wait patiently while the truth of their contention was demonstrated, because they were convinced of its rightness. This illustrates in a degree the attitude of the Christian Scientist, steadfastly applying his knowledge of the Science of divine Mind in healing disease and overcoming evil. He continues his work, rejecting error and joyously acknowledging Truth until the evidence of disease gives place to harmonious functioning. Thus the sinless, harmonious status of man unfolds to consciousness. Whatever other error may confront us, whether a limited income, lack of home, lack of companionship, or loss, harmony can be restored if we hold calmly to the truth that man is as perfect and complete as his Maker. We must lift our concept of man from that which is changeable and insecure to the perfect child of God, secure, companioned, and free.

Time is not an element in the unfoldment of good. The Discoverer of Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy, writes (Unity of Good, pp. 11, 12): "Jesus required neither cycles of time nor thought in order to mature fitness for perfection and its possibilities. He said that the kingdom of heaven is here, and is included in Mind; that while ye say, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest. I say, Look up, not down, for your fields are already white for the harvest; and gather the harvest by mental, not material processes."

A little candle gives light to a darkened room; however, more light is needed to flood its dark corners. A gleam of spiritual understanding does wonders in dispelling the darkness of ignorance; but more light may be needed to eliminate darkened beliefs which are sometimes so ingrown as to seem a part of the individual's nature. The glorious light of Truth can so flood consciousness as to bring evidence of healing instantaneously. If healing appears delayed, however, the remedy is to seek, strive, watch, work, and pray for more light. Such light comes through patient, active waiting, made manifest in earnest study of the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings and through faithful demonstration of good in the humble details of daily experience. Work in a Christian Science church stands high among our opportunities for service to God and man. Humble and loving service in the church is important to individual growth and to the growth of the Cause of Christian Science.

At a time when patient waiting seems to be demanded, the following passage by Mrs. Eddy is helpful and pertinent (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 495): "When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you. cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious —as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony." This passage makes clear the need of fearless and insistent rejection of sense testimony in demonstrating harmony. It gives several important rules to be lovingly and faithfully obeyed.

How calmly and quietly Jesus served God! Even though his friend Lazarus was sick, the Master was not disturbed. He "abode two days still in the same place where he was" (John 11:6). The result of his patient, consistent waiting on God was the raising of Lazarus from the grave. The Master had attained the state of consciousness which gives thanks in advance, instead of waiting for something to happen. So may we prayerfully strive to maintain the conviction that all is well and wait patiently for the perfection of man to unfold to consciousness.