God's Saving Angels

[Of Special Interest to Children]

ISOBEL RUTH HUTCHINSON

Phillip and Susie were learning to swim. Sometimes their mother and father would pack a picnic basket with lunch and take them and their little brother down to the sea in the car.

They always went to the same beach. It was on an island off the coast. There the sea was usually very calm and the beach very quiet. The children loved to play on the sand and to try to swim to the rocks which were on one side. Sometimes they just sat on the rocks in the sun. They knew that where the rocks ended, the sea was very deep, and big ships passed nearby.

One day instead of being calm, the sea was rough, with huge waves. The rocks were all wet with the spray and looked very lovely in the sunlight. Mother and Father told the children that they must not try to swim, but that they could paddle around at the edge of the water while the basket was being unpacked.

Phillip and Susie ran down to the sea and ran around the water's edge. Then, forgetting what their parents had said, they went just a little bit deeper into the sea, just up to their knees. Suddenly they found that the undertow was pulling at their feet, and for a moment they could not move.

Because they were near the rocks, Phillip then thought he would just try to swim over to them as he usually did, so that he would get away from the strong current. He started to swim, but he was not moving toward the rocks. He was being swept quickly out to sea, and the big waves were throwing him about and pushing him under the water. Susie managed to jump in little jumps back to the beach.

Now Phillip and Susie attended a Christian Science Sunday School, and there they had learned that God is everywhere. Their teacher had shown them the place in the textbook. Science and Health, where, on page 581, Mrs. Eddy explains that angels are "God's thoughts passing to man." They had been taught to listen for these angel thoughts.

They had also learned that fear is error and that Christ Jesus had said to his followers (Luke 12: 32), "Fear not." So Phillip knew that he must not be afraid. The week before, Mother had been teaching him to float, although he had not done it very well. So when the thought came to him that he must keep his mouth closed and lie on his back, he did so, even though he wanted to shout for help. Then the thought came to him to move his hands gently, and he did this too.

He knew that his parents would see him and would come out for him, because they loved him. And he knew that God, who is Love, always supports and guards His children.

He kept knowing this even when the waves pushed him down under the water; and he kept on knowing it when he saw he was floating past the rocks. And even when error whispered that now he was in the deep sea and even his parents had never been out so far, he heard again the angel thought that he must keep calm, that Love was with him and would save him.

Then his mother was there, grasping him. Without struggling, he did what she told him to do, and they both started to move back to the beach.

Even Mother, who was a strong swimmer, was not moving very fast and was finding it difficult. But then Father, who didn't swim so fast but who was very strong, arrived. Together they slowly moved through the waves, nearer and nearer to the shore, where Susie was looking after her little brother.

When they arrived home, their mother found the verse in the ninety-third Psalm which says (verse 4), "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." The whole family rejoiced because divine Love had kept Phillip calm, so that he remained afloat in the rough sea.

The children knew that they must never again be disobedient. They had learned too that no matter how loud error may seem to shout and no matter how long error may go on shouting, they must "stand porter at the door of thought." On page 392 of the textbook our Leader tells us to do this. And she tells us to listen at all times to the angel thoughts, which are from God and which are always present to guard and guide His children. If we do this, we shall be safe.

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April 8, 1961

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